Spain reached the World Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles on Friday, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice and Pedro Porro adding his first international goal as Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the match from start to finish.
Spain dictated possession early and pinned Austria deep inside their own half. Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena kept stretching the pitch and forced Austria’s back line to defend close to their own area.
Austria struggled to escape the pressure. Spain pushed numbers forward and kept recycling possession around the box. Christoph Schlager held them off for long periods and made strong saves from Yamal and Oyarzabal, while a Marc Cucurella goal disappeared after a foul decision on the goalkeeper.
Spain eventually found the breakthrough in the 35th minute. Cucurella drove a low pass into the area and Oyarzabal guided his finish into the bottom corner for his third goal of the tournament.
Austria changed shape after the break and added more attacking players, but Spain never lost control. Rodri dictated the pace in midfield while Baena and Yamal continued to create overloads in wide areas.
Porro doubled the lead in the 66th minute after another sharp move down the left. Baena reached the byline and delivered a cross which Porro attacked at close range for his first Spain goal.
Austria created few clear openings despite introducing Marko Arnautovic and Sasa Kalajdzic. Chukwuemeka dragged their best chance wide and Unai Simon enjoyed another comfortable afternoon.
Spain wrapped up the win late on when Oyarzabal timed his run perfectly and steered Cucurella’s cross beyond Schlager.
Spain have now recorded five consecutive clean sheets and continue to build momentum at the tournament.
