Ibrahim bin Mohammed

Friday, July 17, 2026 12:7 | 1 minute read

The Spanish national team booked its place in the final of the 2026 World Cup, after achieving a deserved victory over its French counterpart by two goals to nil, in the semi-final match held in Dallas, USA, to qualify to face the winner of the match between England and Argentina in the final scene next Sunday.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored a brace for 'La Roja' from a penalty in the first half, and Pedro Porro in the second half, thus denying coach Didier Deschamps' squad revenge for the Euro 2024 final.

The numbers highlight Spain's defensive solidity under coach Luis de la Fuente, as the team kept a clean sheet in 6 out of 7 matches in the tournament, conceding only one goal, according to statistics from platform 'Transfermarkt'.

On an individual level, Paris Saint-Germain star Fabian Ruiz entered the history of the game through the big door; as he kept his unbeaten record for the 49th consecutive international match since his first appearance with the national team in 2019 against the Faroe Islands, recording 34 wins and 15 draws.

Ruiz equaled the record of Brazilian legend Garrincha (49 matches), moving up to third place in the list of longest individual unbeaten streaks internationally, and if he participates and Spain wins the title, he will equal the runner-up of the historical list, Brazilian Aldair (50 matches).

It is worth noting that former Spanish defender Carlos Marchena tops this historical list with 57 consecutive unbeaten matches achieved between 2007 and 2011. The top ten list also includes prominent names, including Moroccan Bilal El Khannouss (41 matches), Frenchman Zinedine Zidane (39 matches), and Spaniard Xavi Hernandez (38 matches).