Summary
- LOS ANGELES: Former world champions Spain secured their first FIFA World Cup Round of 16 victory in 16 years by defeating Austria 3-0 in a one-sided contest to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament.
- A superb low cross from Marc Cucurella found Mikel Oyarzabal, who calmly finished to give Spain a 1-0 lead.
- With the victory, Spain recorded their fourth consecutive clean sheet of the tournament matching Mexico as one of the competition’s strongest defensive teams.
LOS ANGELES: Former world champions Spain secured their first FIFA World Cup Round of 16 victory in 16 years by defeating Austria 3-0 in a one-sided contest to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament.
Spain dominated possession from the opening whistle and broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. A superb low cross from Marc Cucurella found Mikel Oyarzabal, who calmly finished to give Spain a 1-0 lead.
Spain maintained control after the break and doubled their advantage in the 66th minute when right-back Pedro Porro headed home from an Alex Baena cross following an excellent team move.
Late in the match, Cucurella provided another precise assist allowing Oyarzabal to score his second goal of the game and Spain’s third taking his tournament tally to four goals.
Spain also had a first-half goal ruled out after a VAR review for a foul.
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager produced several impressive saves to prevent a heavier defeat but he could do little to stop Spain’s relentless attack.
Austria appearing in the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 1954 struggled to make an impact throughout the match.
With the victory, Spain recorded their fourth consecutive clean sheet of the tournament matching Mexico as one of the competition’s strongest defensive teams.
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