Spain defeat Austria 3-0 to reach World Cup last 16

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Spain coasted past Austria and into the World Cup last-16 on Thursday, thoroughly outclassing their opponents in a 3-0 knockout win with a brace from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header.

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The European champions controlled possession and sliced through the Austrian defence in a typically dominant performance in Los Angeles, as Hollywood stars Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and singer Rosalia cheered on.

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The win—which could have been by a greater margin, with a disallowed goal and a free kick off the woodwork—sets up a tantalising round-of-16 clash with either Portugal or Croatia.

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The SoFi Stadium was a sea of red and excitement was sky-high over the first visit by a bona fide World Cup favourite to America’s second city.

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Spain ratcheted up the pressure gradually through the first half, creating a string of chances after the first hydration break.

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Marc Cucurella thought he had scored from a Lamine Yamal corner, but Pau Cubarsi was judged to have encroached on Austria’s goalkeeper.

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Alexander Schlager then made a superb diving save, pushing Oyarzabal’s low shot around the post.

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Austria’s defence finally buckled in the 36th minute. Pedri pinged a ball wide left to Cucurella, whose cross to Oyarzabal was calmly side-footed past the ‘keeper.

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Spain’s dominance grew further, with Yamal tormenting the Austrians, mainly from the right flank.

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An Alex Baena free kick hit the crossbar, and Yamal’s close-range follow-up shot was well saved.

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Austria spurned a rare chance at the other end. Romano Schmid played in a late-arriving and unmarked Stefan Posch, but a terrible first touch meant he lost the ball before even attempting a shot.

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‘Ole’

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After the break Spain continued knocking on the door without quite putting the game to rest.

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Austria sent on two giant strikers—Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic—and immediately went long, with Kalajdzic putting a header over the bar.

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But in the 66th minute, Spain struck again. Baena lifted a cross onto the head of Pedro Porro, who nodded in his first goal for Spain.

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Some dogged defending kept the scoreline respectable, including a goalline clearance by David Alaba from Yamal, who was substituted off to rest moments later.

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Spain sprayed passes around the pitch as the final minutes ticked down, eliciting “Oles” from the crowd, as attention turned to a sterner test on Monday in Dallas.

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In the 89th minute, a pinpoint Cucurella cross found a completely unmarked Oyarzabal in the penalty area, who slotted the ball home.

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AFP

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