Spain cruised into the World Cup round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 win over Austria at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday, powered by a Mikel Oyarzabal brace.
Spain controlled possession throughout the first half but struggled to convert until the 36th minute, when Oyarzabal finished off a well-worked move after being set up by Marc Cucurella.
Spain had earlier seen a goal chalked off, with the referee ruling out Cucurella’s effort after two Spanish players were judged to have blocked the Austrian goalkeeper from coming out to claim a corner.
Spain nearly doubled their lead before halftime as Alex Baena struck the crossbar from a free kick, while Lamine Yamal hit the post moments later, leaving the scoreline tighter than the run of play suggested.
The breakthrough finally came in the 66th minute when Baena delivered an excellent cross from the left and Pedro Porro headed home for his first international goal, making it 2-0.
Oyarzabal then put the result beyond doubt in the 89th minute, scoring his second goal of the match on an assist from goalkeeper Unai Simón to seal the 3-0 victory.
The result marked Spain’s first World Cup knockout win in 16 years, since they lifted the trophy in 2010, and extended their tournament-long defensive record, with goalkeeper Unai Simon setting the longest unbeaten streak in World Cup history behind five consecutive clean sheets.
For Austria, the loss ended their first World Cup knockout appearance since 1954. Spain will now face the winner of the Portugal-Croatia match in the round of 16 on July 6 in Dallas.
