De Ketelaere's header ends Spain goalkeeper Simón's record 650-minute World Cup shutout streak

Charles De Ketelaere ended Unai Simón’s record 650-minute World Cup shutout streak with a 41st-minute header, drawing Belgium level at 1-1 against Spain in their 2026 World Cup quarterfinal on Friday.

The Belgium forward got in front of defender Pau Cubarsí to meet Timothy Castagne’s cross and nod home, making Belgium the first team to score against La Roja at this year’s tournament. The goal snapped Spain’s run of six consecutive clean sheets — a new World Cup record that Simón had only just set days earlier.

Simón’s remarkable streak had its origins at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when he came on as a substitute during a 2-1 group-stage loss to Japan. Spain’s scoreless run then continued through a 0-0 round-of-16 draw with Morocco — a tie that ended in a penalty shootout exit — and carried all the way into the 2026 edition. A goalless group-stage draw against Cape Verde was followed by four successive shutout victories as Spain advanced to the last eight.

The 29-year-old had surpassed the previous record of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes — held by Italy’s Walter Zenga, who kept five clean sheets at the 1990 World Cup on home soil — during Spain’s 3-0 knockout-round win over Austria earlier in the tournament.

Friday’s quarterfinal was hardly a siege on Simón’s goal before the record fell. The goalkeeper faced only two shots in the first half, making De Ketelaere’s header all the more decisive when it finally arrived.