A top-class defensive wall and a record-breaking goalkeeper propelled Spain into the World Cup history books. By blanking rivals Portugal 1-0 in a high-stakes clash on Monday, La Roja broke the World Cup record for the most consecutive clean sheets, while custodian Unai Simón extended his historic scoreless streak to a staggering 609 minutes.In their sixth consecutive shutout of the tournament, Spain broke the tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) to stand alone at the pinnacle of defensive excellence. This remarkable run traces its roots back to 2022, which began immediately after a 2-1 group stage loss to Japan. It survived an agonizing 0-0 draw against Morocco in Qatar, pulled off a shocking scoreless opener against Cape Verde in this edition, and is now anchored by four consecutive victories to close en route to the quarterfinals.At the heart of this defensive masterclass is Athletic Bilbao’s 29-year-old shot-stopper, Unai Simon. The Spanish no. 1 already passed legendary Italian Walter Zenga’s 1990 benchmark of 517 minutes during Thursday’s clinical 3-0 demolition of Austria. Against Portugal, he guarded his fort with absolute authority.While Simón arrived in Arlington having made just four saves all tournament, largely untested by an insulated backline that held Austria to zero shots on target as he was forced to claim his historic milestone against Portugal. The Bilbao keeper made two crucial saves in the first half, both denying the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo.The highlight of the night came when Joao Felix’s header deflected sharply over Simón’s shoulder, heading dangerously into the net. Showing impressive athleticism, the Spaniard adjusted in mid-air, reaching back with both hands to scoop up the ball with an incredible diving stop.Spain now march into the quarterfinals on the back of six consecutive clean sheets. As they prepare to face the United States or Belgium in California, Luis de la Fuente’s men have proven that while attackers win games, their historic defense is built to win World Cups.