Baku, July 3, AZERTAC
Spain comfortably defeated Austria 3-0 to advance from the Round of 32 to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium in the US, Anadolu Agency reported.
Spain broke the deadlock in the 36th minute through Mikel Oyarzabal, who calmly slotted home from Marc Cucurella's clever pass into the box. It was Oyarzabal's third goal of the tournament and his 16th in his last 16 starts for the national team.
The goal had been coming, with Spain dominating the opening stages through slick passing combinations and the constant threat of Lamine Yamal down the right. Austria's defense, led by David Alaba, struggled to contain La Roja, while Oyarzabal continued his outstanding form by taking his international tally to 28 goals in 57 appearances.
Ralf Rangnick had described Austria as clear underdogs before the match, and the first half largely reflected that. Spain went into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead and could easily have been further ahead were it not for several important saves by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
The pattern was repeated in the second half, with Spain firmly in control and Austria pinned back inside their own half. Despite Rangnick's use of attacking substitutes such as Marko Arnautovic and Sasa Kalajdzic, the Austrians struggled to gain any meaningful possession or mount a response.
Spain doubled their lead in the 66th minute through Pedro Porro, who timed his run perfectly to meet Alex Baena's cross from the left and power a header into the net. It was the right back's first senior international goal for Spain in his 20th appearance.
La Roja wrapped up the victory in the 89th minute when Cucurella delivered another precise ball from the left for Oyarzabal, who finished confidently past Schlager for his second goal and his fourth of the tournament.
The win extended Spain's unbeaten run in regular time to 33 matches, a streak stretching back to their 1-0 friendly defeat to Colombia in London on March 22, 2024.
As Austria left the tournament, Spain will play Portugal in the Round of 16.