As the final whistle was set to conclude Spain's Round of 32 match against Austria, goalkeeper Unai Simon made FIFA World Cup™ history by overtaking Walter Zenga and setting a new record of 519 minutes without conceding a goal. The last goal conceded by Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper was on 1 December 2022 to Ao Tanaka of Japan.
Since then, the Basque goalkeeper has been on a run – 39 minutes in that final group stage match at the , the 120 minutes against Morocco in the Round of 16, and the four matches played so far at the .
The goalkeeper, however, downplayed his own achievements in front of the media. “They’re just numbers, to be honest," said Simon. "I haven’t done all that much either. If you look at the three group stage matches and today’s game, they’ve had seven or eight shots on goal. And they weren’t clear-cut chances.”
He then went on to acknowledge the collective effort behind this success: “Obviously, this recognition goes to the goalkeeper and the defence because of the statistics, but we must take into account and highlight the level of pressure this team is under. From [Mikel] Oyarzabal right through to me. The whole starting XI, plus the players waiting on the bench for their chance, are doing a vital job in defence.
"That’s the key. We already know that we won the World Cup in South Africa in that way. We need to be very solid in defence and we believe we’ll continue along that path.”
At South Africa 2010, Spain put together a perfect run in the knockout stages. They won by the narrowest of margins and kept a clean sheet in every round. They overcame Portugal 1–0 in the Round of 16, won 1-0 against Paraguay in the quarter-finals, defeated Germany 1-0 thanks to a powerful Carles Puyol header in the semi-finals and then Andres Iniesta decided the final against the Netherlands with a beautiful goal in extra time.
With those narrow margins in mind, Simon highlighted just how significant a single mistake can be. “We have to be aware that in these knockout rounds, matches become increasingly evenly matched," he told the media. "We’re already seeing that any mistake can cost you elimination. You have to stay fully focused for the full 90 or 120 minutes.
"And if it comes down to a penalty shootout, the same applies. I think that’s the hardest part of being a goalkeeper. Especially when you’ve gone 90 minutes without facing a shot. We know what we’re up against and we have to accept that this is the job we’ve got, and hopefully we can keep going in the same vein.”
Spain take on Portugal in Dallas in the last 16 and Simon will have his eyes set on keeping another clean sheet and securing progress into the quarter-finals.
Sources: FIFA Official
