Unai Simón sets new World Cup clean-sheet record
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Los Angeles: Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest clean sheet in FIFA World Cup finals matches, going 519 minutes without conceding.
Guinness World Records confirmed the milestone on Friday after Simón kept a clean sheet in Spain’s 3-0 win over Austria that secured a last-16 tie with Portugal. The run surpasses the previous mark of 518 minutes set by Italy’s Walter Zenga at the 1990 World Cup.
Simón’s streak spans two tournaments: 159 consecutive minutes at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (including 120 minutes without conceding in the Round of 16 before a penalty shootout) and 360 minutes at the 2026 finals, where he kept clean sheets against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Austria. The Austria match was his fifth successive World Cup shutout.
The new record also eclipses Spain’s previous benchmark of 476 minutes held by Iker Casillas.
(Inputs from IANS)