Unai Simon Breaks 36-Year-Old FIFA World Cup Clean Sheet Record as Spain Put 3 Past Austria

New Delhi, July 3: Spain's goalkeeper Unai Simón has set a new record in the FIFA World Cup 2026, breaking a 36-year-old record, while defeating Austria in a 3-0 victory in the Round of 32. Interestingly, the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper kept his fourth consecutive clean sheet in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Simón has now gone 519 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal across the past two World Cups. That mark takes him past Italy great Walter Zenga, who held the previous World Cup shutout record of 517 minutes during the 1990 tournament.

The 29-year-old may not carry the same global profile as some of Spain’s attacking stars, but his consistency has become central to Spain’s World Cup campaign. Spain are yet to concede in the tournament, and Simón did not have to make a save against Austria, who failed to put any of their five shots on target.

“I feel proud of him,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said after the match. “I feel like he is a member of my family. I'm very happy for him,” he added.

Unai Simon Strengthens Spain’s Defensive Record

Simón’s run began during Spain’s 2-1 defeat to Japan at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. It continued through the goalless draw against Morocco, when Spain were eliminated on penalties despite not conceding in open play.

In North America, Spain’s defensive structure has been even stronger. Simón has faced limited work behind a compact back line, with Uruguay the only team so far to manage more than one shot on target against Spain in this campaign.

Spanish coach De La Fuente was impressed by Simon's performance against Austria and remarked:

Simon played a very big role in the victory, but it's not just about individuals. It's about the whole group coming together for that defensive effort.

Unai Simon Overtakes Former Real Madrid Star

Simón also moved past Iker Casillas’ Spanish record scoreless streak across the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. For a goalkeeper competing with David Raya and Joan Garcia for the national-team spot, the milestone further underlines his standing under De La Fuente.

Raya has enjoyed major success with Arsenal, while Garcia is regarded among Europe’s top young goalkeeping talents. Yet De La Fuente has continued to trust Simón, a relationship that dates back to Spain’s European Under-19 title win in 2015.

Spain’s 3-0 win also gave them their first World Cup knockout victory in 16 years. With the defence in control and Simón in record-breaking form, the former world champions move into the next round with one of the tournament’s most reliable foundations.