clean sheet

clean sheet (plural clean sheets)

1. An absence of debts or indictments.
2. (soccer, not in the US and Canada) A game played without having conceded a goal.
   • 2011 February 6, Alistair Magowan, “West Ham 0 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Birmingham had their defence to thank for a clean sheet, although they were lucky to escape when Manuel da Costa shot off-target and then headed wide.

   • 2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Nigeria had scored only three goals in three games, all against Australia, but they had also kept two clean sheets and their defensive organisation continued to frustrate England immensely.

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see clean,‎ sheet.

• start with a clean sheet

• shutout (same concept applied to ice hockey and US/Canadian soccer)