Oyarzabal double fires Spain past Austria 3-0 and into World Cup last 16

Spain delivered a commanding performance in their first knockout match of the tournament, barely giving Austria a foothold in Inglewood. The 3-0 scoreline, if anything, flattered the Austrians, who finished the first half without a single shot on target against Unai Simón.

How the goals came

The opening goal arrived in the 36th minute when Marc Cucurella broke forward and squared low into the box, where Oyarzabal arrived to turn the ball past Alexander Schlager. With Austria chasing the game after the break, Alex Baena curled a cross onto the head of Pedro Porro in the 66th minute for the second. Oyarzabal added his second and Spain's third a minute from time, punishing a stretched Austrian back line.

Spanish dominance from the start

Luis de la Fuente's side pressed relentlessly and recovered the ball within seconds whenever possession was lost, pinning Austria deep for long spells. Lamine Yamal was a constant threat down the right, drawing multiple defenders and forcing Schlager into several saves, while Pedri and Rodri dictated the tempo from midfield. Austria's best moment came late, when Sasa Kalajdzić headed over the bar and Carney Chukwuemeka fired wide, but a comeback never looked likely.

We have to adapt to this situation, but we are starting the knockout stage where there is no room for error.

Fans around the world love watching him, but our task will be to cut him off from passes and make sure he has the ball at his feet as rarely as possible.

Group stage paths

Spain recovered from a shock goalless draw with debutants Cape Verde in their opener to beat Saudi Arabia 4-1 and Uruguay 1-0, topping Group H without conceding. Austria had a more dramatic route, beating Jordan 3-1, losing to Argentina 0-2, and scraping a 3-3 draw with Algeria thanks to an injury-time equaliser from Kalajdzić.

What comes next

With the win, Spain break a long winless run in World Cup knockout matches dating back to the 2010 final. They now await the winner of Portugal versus Croatia in the round of 16.