A great defensive wall and a record-breaking player have put Spain in the World Cup history books. By eliminating arch-rivals Portugal 1-0 in Monday’s clash, La Roja broke the World Cup record for consecutive clean sheets, as manager Unai Simón extended his streak of clean sheets to 609 minutes.With their sixth consecutive shutout, Spain left a tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) to stand alone at the top of the league in terms of defense. This incredible run began in 2022, starting right after the team lost 2-1 to Japan. It survived an agonizing 0-0 draw against Morocco in Qatar, Cape Verde’s stunning goalless opener in this edition, and has now been backed by four consecutive victories en route to the quarterfinals.At the heart of the defensive strategy is Athletic Bilbao’s 29-year-old striker, Unai Simon. Spanish No. 1 had already surpassed Italy’s Walter Zenga’s 1990 record of 517 minutes on Thursday by beating Austria 3-0. Against Portugal, he defended his fortress with full authority.While Simón arrived in Arlington with just four saves, an untested back-to-back meant Austria had just zero shots on target as they forced their way to a record win against Portugal. The Bilbao striker produced two crucial saves in the first half, both denying Cristiano Ronaldo.The highlight of the night came when Joao Felix’s header went wide of Simón’s shoulder, and curled dangerously into the net. In a display of impressive play, the Spaniard switched mid-air, returning with both hands to drop the ball into a stunning diving position.Spain now enter 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 confirmed that even if the attackers win the game, their defense is built to win the World Cup.