The Spain defence helped them win their third consecutive match against Austria in the round of 32 of World Cup 2026 on Thursday, July 2. The Spain vs Austria match ended in a 3-0 win for the Spaniards, as they booked a meeting with Iberian neighbors Portugal in the round of 16.
The Spain defence helped their team keep another clean sheet, which is their fourth on the trot in the tournament. Unai Simon also broke the World Cup record of keeping clean sheets for consecutive minutes that was set in 1990 by Walter Zenga.
Every other team aside from Mexico and Spain have let in one goal or more at the World Cup 2026 so far.
Spain Defence Has Been Helped by Their Tendency To Dominate Ball-Possession
The Spain defence has benefited from the fact that they dominate ball possession against most teams. That means that there is hardly any sustained pressure on the Spain defenders. They only have to be vigilant against the counterattacks of the opposition teams.
Moreover, in Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi, the Spaniards have one of the best centre-back partnerships in the tournament. Unai Simon, who has managed to keep David Raya on the bench, has been the No. 1 goalie for the team for six years now.
As a result, the Spaniards have been able to keep the opposition attackers at bay so far. Marc Cucurella, Pedro Porro and Marcos Llorente have also done their job well as full-backs. But it is Rodri and Pedri, the Spaniards have a double-pivot who can control and regulate possession and rob the opposition midfielders of the chance to dictate terms.
However, it is also true that Spain have not yet come up against a really top team, which has allowed them to be on the front foot most of the time. The round of 16 tie against Portugal is probably not going to be as straightforward.
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Spain Defence Will Be Tested Against Portugal
The Spain defenders will be put to a stern test by Portugal, who have the redoubtable Cristiano Ronaldo up front. Ronaldo has scored three goals in the tournament so far. Moreover, his ability to score from counter-attacks will make the Spain defence apprehensive of playing with a high line.
Pau Cubarsi plays regularly in a high defensive line for his club, Barcelona and has the experience of running back through a lot of space while trying to stop the opposition’s counter-attacks. Portugal also have quality wingers and full-backs, who play crosses into the box frequently. That means that both Laporte and Cubarsi will have to prepare to deal with a lot of aerial balls.
The European champions, however, will start as slight favourites against their neighbours despite Ronaldo’s presence for the latter. Luis de la Fuente should rely on his team’s defence a lot despite having exciting attackers like Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal in his line-up.
Spain is known for their possession-based short-passing game. However, it is their defenders who remain their unsung heroes at times, but have done more than their due at the World Cup 2026.
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