The numbers behind Spain defence chasing World Cup history

The numbers behind Spain defence chasing World Cup historyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Unai Simon has gone 519 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, while Spain are yet to let in a goal at the 2026 tournamentByMohamed MoallimBBC Sport JournalistPublished2 minutes agoCommentsThere is an old saying, often attributed to legendary American football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant, that "offence sells tickets, but defence wins championships".If that theory holds true, Spain are giving themselves every chance of lifting the World Cup.Luis de la Fuente's side have reached the last 16 without conceding a goal and are the only team yet to be breached at the 2026 World Cup after Mexico shipped three against England.They are also the first European nation to keep clean sheets in each of their opening four matches at a World Cup since Switzerland in 2006 and, having also drawn 0-0 with Morocco in their final game at Qatar 2022, could become the first team in tournament history to record six consecutive World Cup clean sheets.Their 3-0 victory over Austria also made them the first team not to face a single shot on target in a World Cup knockout match since Germany against Argentina in the 2014 final.To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Oyarzabal scores twice as Spain cruise past AustriaThe milestones continue to fall. Goalkeeper Unai Simon has gone 519 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, surpassing Walter Zenga's long-standing tournament record of 517 minutes and Iker Casillas' Spain mark of 476, which came to an end when Robin van Persie scored his iconic diving header at the 2014 World Cup.Simon's rise has been underpinned by the unwavering faith of De la Fuente, who has continued to back the 28-year-old despite competition from Premier League Golden Glove winner David Raya and Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The pair first worked toget...