INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Although Spain arrived at this year's World Cup as a championship favorite and then went unbeaten through group play, those first three matches weren't overly impressive.
When the knockout rounds finally arrived Thursday, this star-studded team turned on its full talent and served notice that Spain can be just as good as everybody thought — and it's probably getting better.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored two goals and Spain beat Austria 3-0 for its first victory in a knockout match since winning the title in 2010.
Pedro Porro added a goal in the second half as La Roja put on its most impressive performance of the tournament while demonstrating offensive creativity and defensive rigor throughout its vaunted lineup.
“The great teams step up when it’s needed,†Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “We played a great match. We came close to perfection, but we must keep improving.â€
While Oyarzabal, fullback Marc Cucurella and winger Lamine Yamal all had sensational moments in attack, Spain also has yet to allow a goal at this year's World Cup. Austria failed to get a shot on target, so Unai Simón didn't have to make a save while keeping his fourth consecutive clean sheet and setting a World Cup record with 519 consecutive shutout minutes dating back to the last tournament in Qatar.
Everybody in a red shirt was happy after a dominant day in the Los Angeles area — but nobody was satisfied, either.
“I’m happy to have helped the team for us to go through another round,†Oyarzabal said. “Now just rest and get ready for the next one. It was a complicated match. We knew that it was going to be difficult against a very physical team, but we had a very good day and played a good match.â€
La Roja will next face the winner of Portugal’s match against Croatia in Dallas on Monday in the round of 16.
Yamal had four of Spain’s 10 shots on goal while getting wild cheers from the pro-Spanish sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium. The 18-year-old Barcelona sensation played his longest stretch of the tournament before coming off in the 85th minute, moments after Austria defender David Alaba deflected Yamal’s hard shot off the goal line.
Spain got its marquee offense from Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad captain who has four goals at this year's World Cup by opening the scoring in the 36th minute and clinching the victory in the 89th. Cucurella had assists on both of Oyarzabal's goals, demonstrating an excellent connection from the left side.
“Our only focus is to remain thinking that we need to exceed our own expectations,†De La Fuente said. “Today’s match is just the prelude to what’s next, because in the next match we will try to play even better. We have wonderful players. Their behavior, their attitude, their talent is insurmountable.â€
Goalkeeper Alexander Schlager made six saves in an outstanding performance for Austria, which reached the knockout rounds of its first World Cup since 1998 by squeaking out a late draw with . Coach Ralf Rangnick’s team hasn’t won a knockout match at the World Cup since 1954.
“I cannot remember any unforced error they made,†Rangnick said of Spain. “I think they showed us their best performance. I would dare to say we did not only meet the European champion, but possibly the next world champion. If you want to win it, you need to win against Spain. But if we had a lucky punch, we could have had a chance.â€
Spain is firmly back in World Cup contention for the first time since winning it all in South Africa 16 years ago. La Roja lost two knockout matches and got eliminated in the group stage over the past three World Cups.
But Spain is now unbeaten 35 straight competitive matches since March 2023. La Roja won the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship in that stretch, but also lost the 2025 Nations League final on penalties to Portugal.
Following a cautious start against Austria, Spain unleashed its full attack after the first-half hydration break. Three minutes after Schlager made a diving fingertip save on Oyarzabal’s low shot, the Spain player came unmarked in the penalty area and coolly converted Cucurella's pass.
Spain kept up its pressure after halftime, playing some of its most creative soccer of the tournament. It was rewarded when Ãlex Baena broke in on the left side and lifted a pass to an unmarked Porro, who banged home an emphatic header for his first international goal.
“People have their opinions, (but) we’ve been doing our job since Day 1," Porro said. "We believe in ourselves, and whatever people on the outside say is fair enough.â€
Oyarzabal wrapped it up by converting another sharp pass from Cucurella.
Simón has only had to make four saves in his four straight shutouts. His World Cup shutout streak of 519 minutes broke the tournament record set by Italy great Walter Zenga at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
Marko Arnautović came on as a second-half substitute for Austria. Rangnick said afterward that the 37-year-old striker had played his final international match.
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