World football has written a new historic chapter in the 2026 World Cup finals, as the Spanish national team became the first side in the tournament's history to keep a clean sheet in 6 consecutive matches spanning two editions — 2022 and the current one.
This historic run began with a clean sheet against Morocco at the Qatar World Cup, before La Furia Roja imposed total defensive dominance at the current tournament, keeping 5 consecutive clean sheets against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Austria, and finally their Iberian neighbours Portugal.
This extraordinary defensive fortification earned Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón an unprecedented all-time record, making him the first goalkeeper in World Cup history to keep a clean sheet in 6 consecutive matches — cementing the excellence of the Spanish machine, which has combined effective possession with a formidable defensive solidity that has suffocated top strikers throughout this tournament.
In stark contrast to Spain's celebrations, Portugal endured a dramatic night, with their goalkeeper Diogo Costa as its central figure. He entered the match carrying the weight of the physical and technical pressures that had shadowed him throughout the competition.
Despite fighting valiantly to guard his goal and making saves from 4 dangerous attempts against the intense Spanish attack, his net was shaken by a decisive late goal, bringing Portugal's ambitions to an end at the round of 16.
Costa's role was not limited to the technical side; he was also a key figure in the emotional moments that shook the Portuguese camp, with his name linked to the enormous moral support he offered his captain Cristiano Ronaldo after the previous match against Croatia.
Costa was the first to run and console Ronaldo and shield him from photographers' lenses when the latter broke down in tears grieving the memory of the passing of their teammate Diogo Jota. Today, the goalkeeper returned only to share with his captain the bitterness of a final World Cup farewell, with shared tears that reflected the end of a storied Portuguese era.