Oyarzabal Double Powers Spain to 3-0 Knockout Win Over Austria at World Cup

INGLEWOOD, California: Spain entered this World Cup among the teams tipped to lift the trophy and sailed through the group stage without a defeat, yet those opening three fixtures lacked real sparkle. On Thursday, with elimination football underway, the side packed with household names finally delivered the standard many had expected — and hinted there may be more to come.

Mikel Oyarzabal found the net twice and Spain defeated Austria 3-0, securing their first knockout-stage win at a World Cup since they were crowned champions in 2010. Pedro Porro struck in the second half as La Roja produced their sharpest showing of the competition so far, blending inventive attacking play with disciplined defending across the squad.

"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."

Oyarzabal, fullback Marc Cucurella and winger Lamine Yamal each produced standout moments going forward, while Spain have still not conceded at this tournament. Austria could not manage a single shot on goal, leaving Unai Simón without a save to make as he recorded his fourth straight clean sheet and extended a World Cup record to 519 consecutive minutes without conceding, a run that began at the previous edition in Qatar.

Players in red left the Los Angeles area pleased with a commanding result, though none declared the job done. "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."

Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager turned in a strong display with six stops, but his side could not break through. Austria had advanced from the group on their first World Cup appearance since 1998 after rescuing a late draw with a goal deep into stoppage time against Algeria. Coach Ralf Rangnick's squad has not claimed a knockout-round victory at a 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 champions, but possibly the next world champions. 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."