Spain’s defense helped them advance to their third consecutive match against Austria in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, July 2. Spain won the match against Austria 3-0 as they will face Iberian neighbors Portugal in the last 16.
Spain’s defense helped the team keep another clean sheet, their fourth in this tournament. Unai Simon also broke Walter Zenga’s 1990 World Cup record for consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.
So far, every other team except Mexico and Spain has conceded 1 goal or more at the 2026 World Cup.
Spain’s defense benefits from their tendency to possess the ball
Spain’s defense benefits from the fact that they dominate possession against most teams. This meant there was hardly any sustained pressure on the Spanish defenders. They just need to be wary of the opposing team’s counterattacks.
Additionally, Espanyol have one of the best centre-back partnerships in the competition in Aymeric Laporte and Paulo Cubas. Unai Simon managed to bring David Raya, who has been the team’s first choice goalkeeper for six years, on the bench.
As a result, the Spaniards have been able to stop their opponents’ attacks so far. Marc Cucurella, Pedro Polo and Marcos Llorente also did their jobs well as full-backs. But Rodri and Pedri are the Spaniard’s double defensive midfielders who can control and control possession and deny the opposition midfielder the opportunity to dictate.
It’s true, though, that Spain hasn’t faced a truly top team yet, which has kept them in the lead most of the time. The round of 16 match against Portugal may not be that simple.
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Spain’s defense will be tested by Portugal
The Spanish defender will face a tough test from Portugal, who have the formidable Cristiano Ronaldo up front. Ronaldo has scored three goals in this tournament so far. Additionally, his ability to score on counter-attacks will make Spain’s defense wary of attacking high up the pitch.
Pau Cubarsi often plays in the forward defensive line of his club Barcelona and has experience running back in large spaces and trying to prevent opponents from counterattacking. Portugal also has excellent wingers and full-backs who often cross into the penalty area. This means both Laporte and Cubas must be prepared to deal with a lot of balls in the air.
However, despite Ronaldo’s presence, the European champions will remain slight favorites against their neighbors. Although Luis de la Fuente has exciting attackers like Lamine Yamar and Mikel Oyarzabal in his lineup, he should rely more on his team’s defense.
Spain is known for its possession-based short passing game. However, their defenders have remained their unsung heroes at times but have performed more than they should have in the 2026 World Cup.
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