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Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon etched his name into FIFA World Cup history after setting a new record for the longest run without conceding a goal, leading La Roja into the last 16 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria.
According to Opta Jose, Simon has now gone 519 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, surpassing the previous record of 517 minutes held by Italy's Walter Zenga. The clean sheet against Austria was his fourth of the tournament and extended Spain's remarkable defensive streak to 595 minutes across five consecutive World Cup matches without letting in a goal. Spain are yet to concede in the ongoing tournament, underlining their dominance at both ends of the pitch as they registered their first World Cup knockout-stage victory since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010. Although Simon's record grabbed the headlines, Spain's attacking quality ensured the achievement came with a comfortable win. Mikel Oyarzabal starred with a brace, while Pedro Porro scored his maiden international goal as Luis de la Fuente's side outclassed an Austrian team that struggled to contain Spain's relentless pressure. Spain dictated possession from the outset, with Lamine Yamal and Aymeric Laporte threatening before Marc Cucurella had a goal ruled out following a controversial foul on goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Austria survived several scares thanks to Schlager's fine saves, but the resistance finally broke before half-time when Cucurella picked out Oyarzabal, who calmly finished to hand Spain a deserved lead. Austria briefly threatened after the restart, with substitute Sasa Kalajdzic heading narrowly over the bar, but Spain quickly regained control. Porro doubled the advantage with a well-taken header from Alex Baena's cross to effectively end the contest. Yamal was denied by a goal-line clearance from David Alaba before Oyarzabal completed his brace in the closing stages, once again converting a precise delivery from Cucurella. The victory extends Spain's unbeaten run to 14 matches and sends them into the Round of 16 brimming with confidence, where they will face the winners of Portugal versus Croatia. For Austria, the defeat ended a memorable campaign that included their first World Cup knockout appearance since 1954, but Simon's record-breaking night ensured the spotlight firmly belonged to Spain's history-making goalkeeper. (ANI)
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