De Ketelaere ends Spain's historic World Cup clean sheet record after 649 minutes
Quick summary
Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere scored against Spain at the World Cup, ending Spain's record of going 649 minutes without conceding a goal in the competition.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceAtalanta star Charles De Ketelaere has made history by scoring for Belgium against Spain, ending Unai Simon’s record clean sheet at the World Cup after 649 minutes.
The goalkeeper had broken the previous record set by Italy’s Walter Zenga , who had gone without conceding for 517 consecutive minutes during Italia ’90.
Spread out over two editions of the World Cup, Spain’s Unai Simon had managed to keep a clean sheet for 649 minutes of tournament football.
De Ketelaere ends World Cup clean sheet streak INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: Charles De Ketelaere #17 of Belgium celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Spain and Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium on July 10, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) It was ended by a wonderful glancing header from Atalanta attacking player De Ketelaere, who was acting as a False 9 for Belgium in the competition.
De Ketelaere scored his third goal in two games for Belgium, cancelling out the Spain opener that had been tapped in by former Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz.
Spain have conceded their first goal of the World Cup
Charles De Ketelaere scores the equaliser for Belgium pic.twitter.com/B3Z5W2TdCo
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 10, 2026
He had also bagged a brace along with an assist in the 4-1 Round of 16 victory over the USMNT.
The winner of this quarter-final will go on to face France in the semi-final of the World Cup.
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What happened
Atalanta attacker Charles De Ketelaere found the net against Spain in a World Cup match, breaking a historic Spanish defensive record of 649 consecutive minutes without conceding in World Cup competition. The goal ended one of the most notable defensive streaks in recent World Cup history. The video footage shows the moment of the breakthrough for the Belgian side. De Ketelaere, who plays his club football for Atalanta in Serie A, continues to develop as a key attacking talent.
Chance analysis
While primarily a historical/statistical note, this World Cup moment highlights De Ketelaere's growing reputation on the international stage. For club-level prediction purposes, this has limited direct relevance, but it reinforces his confidence and form heading back to Atalanta. Spain's defensive record being broken is more of a symbolic event than a tactical indictment, as it was broken by a quality finish rather than systemic failure.
De Ketelaere's World Cup goal provides a morale boost for both player and Belgium, with negligible direct impact on Atalanta's Serie A outlook.
De Ketelaere's World Cup goal is a confidence boost but unlikely to materially affect Atalanta's domestic performance predictions.