INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón has the longest shutout streak in World Cup history, breaking a 36-year-old record while blanking Austria in a 3-0 victory Thursday for his fourth consecutive clean sheet in this World Cup.
Simón hasn't allowed a goal in 519 consecutive minutes across the past two World Cups. He broke the record set in 1990 by famed Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga, who recorded 517 straight scoreless minutes and five consecutive clean sheets in his home World Cup.
The 29-year-old Athletic Bilbao mainstay isn't the most famous goalkeeper in this competition — or even on his own team — but Simón's outstanding play at the back of Spain's superb defense has launched him into the World Cup record books.
Spain has yet to allow a goal at this World Cup, and its Basque backstop has only had to make four saves — none against Austria, which got none of its five shots on target.
“I feel proud of him,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “I feel like he is a member of my family. I’m very happy for him.”
Simón has been Spain's first choice in net for most of the past half-decade, keeping the job despite roster competition from David Raya and Joan Garcia, the championship-winning goalkeepers in two of Europe's four biggest leagues. Simón has spent his club career on smaller stages with Bilbao, which only reached the Champions League for the first time in his career last season.
Simón owes his international success to his stellar results and to his tight bond with De La Fuente, who has largely resisted calls to give more playing time to his goalkeeping options with more accomplished club careers.
Simón and De La Fuente have been bonded since 2015, when the coach and his 18-year-old keeper won the European Under-19 championship in Greece. They stayed together in Spain's youth system and then reunited in early 2023, when De La Fuente took over the senior national team and promptly embarked on one of the most successful stretches in Spain's proud history.
Under De La Fuente, Spain has just one loss in 37 competitive matches, going unbeaten in its last 35 straight — a streak which includes a loss on penalties to Portugal in the 2025 Nations League. Spain has won the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship with Simón in net, and now it has won a World Cup knockout match for the first time in 16 years.
Simón and Spain allowed just three goals in four matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but still went home early. Simón's shutout streak started during Spain's 2-1 loss to Japan, and it continued through a scoreless draw with Morocco, which ultimately knocked out Spain by converting three of its four penalties against Simón.
In North America, nobody has been able to beat Simón — and only Uruguay has managed more than one shot on goal among Spain's four opponents.
“(Simón) played a very big role in the victory, but it’s not just about individuals,” De La Fuente said after beating Austria. “It’s about the whole group coming together for that defensive effort.”
Early in the second half against Austria, Simón also surpassed the Spanish record scoreless streak posted by Iker Casillas across the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
His play has been more than enough to hold off two accomplished challengers as Spain moves forward to the round of 16.
Raya is widely considered one of the world's best goalkeepers after winning three consecutive Golden Glove awards at Arsenal for leading the Premier League in clean sheets. He also backstopped the Gunners to their first Premier League title since 2004 and the Champions League final this year — only to go back to a reserve role for Spain.
García is one of the world's top young talents at the position after seizing Barca's starting job last season, but he's also likely to spend this World Cup as a spectator.
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Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon and Austria's Marko Arnautovic fall during a World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon (23) celebrates with Pau Cubarsi (22) after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Spain and Austria in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon (23) makes a save during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Spain and Austria in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
TORONTO (AP) — At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo will get another match in a Portugal uniform, thanks to a penalty he scored, a stoppage time header by Goncalo Ramos, and a VAR ruling the Croatia team still doesn't understand.
Ramos headed in the winner as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in a wild finish that also included a Croatian goal disallowed for offside just before the final whistle in a World Cup round of 32 match on Thursday night.
The game featured a matchup of 40-somethings — Ronaldo, in his sixth World Cup, and Croatia's Luka Modrić, making his fifth bid for a tournament title.
Ronaldo tied things up in the 68th minute on a penalty kick that gave the megastar his first knockout stage goal at the World Cup before being subbed out in the 81st minute.
“I never felt any of that (fear),” he said. “Yes, nervous. But as always, you have to be very positive for things to go well.”
Still, it was Ramos who gave Portugal the victory and a berth in the round of 16.
“I love that type of moment, I love that type of games,” he said. “I want to play every game like that.”
Portugal moves on to face Spain on Monday.
“First half we dominated the game. In second half after the goal we get a little bit panic, but this is football,” Ronaldo said. “After the penalty, I think it was a little bit better for us. We created a few chances and I think at the end of the day we deserved to win the match.”
In a postgame interview with Fox, Ronaldo proudly turned around to show that he was wearing a Diogo Jota jersey and his No. 21, one year after his teammate died in a car crash. “We knew this before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today to our group, the coincidence of life. It’s unbelievable.”
Things got weird after Ramos scored. With Portugal and its fans still enthralled with his goal, Croatia thought it had tied things up 2-2 in the very last moments. But after a 2 1/2-minute delay, Mario Pasalic was called offside as VAR ruled no goal. Croatia fans threw bottles on the field and whistled in protest.
Croatia midfielder Petar Sucic said, “the referee said he didn’t see (anyone) touch the ball, he said that he had a sensor in that ball,” that caused the offside ruling. “For me, it's a regular goal.”
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said it was, indeed, the chip in the ball that triggered the decision.
“I need to tell them (Croatia fans) the message is very clear: The balls now have a chip, and it’s very clear that’s why the VAR intervened," he said. "It's not a subjective opinion."
Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic scored off a cross from Josip Sanisic.
Ronaldo, booed loudly by Croatia fans every time he touched the ball, got his chance from the spot after Nikola Vlasic was called for a holding foul inside the box. Portugal’s megastar hitched his step and converted down the middle as the goalkeeper went to his right.
Modrić led Croatia to second- and third-place finishes in 2018 and 2022, and the match carried the weight of the two aging stars each trying to realize the dream of winning the World Cup. Modrić is 40.
The men, who were teammates at Real Madrid, shared a few smiles and an embrace ahead of the coin toss before the match. The two met on the pitch after the match, hugged and exchanged a few words.
“I played with Luka so many years,” Ronaldo said. "We’re nearly the same age. I think he’s a legend of football. He’s still a legend of football.”
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said this was “probably” Modrić's last World Cup, but added, "only God knows what will happen in the next four years. We’ll see. We’ll talk about it in Croatia.”
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Lexie Linderman is a student in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Portugal's Renato Veiga gestures during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) scores on a penalty kick past Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (1) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Croatia's Luka Modric (10) reacts to a call as Portugal's Bernardo Silva (10) looks on during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) celebrates after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Portugal's Ruben Dias (3) celebrates a win during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) celebrates after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
