Spain swept past Austria with a commanding 3-0 victory on Thursday to advance to the World Cup last 16 in Los Angeles. Mikel Oyarzabal bagged two goals while Pedro Porro added a header in a performance that left no doubt about the European champions' credentials.
The Spanish side dominated possession and carved through the Austrian defence with clinical efficiency at the SoFi Stadium. Hollywood stars Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and singer Rosalia watched from the stands as Spain controlled the match from start to finish.
Spain could have won by an even larger margin. Marc Cucurella had a goal disallowed in the first half when Pau Cubarsi was ruled to have encroached on goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, and Alex Baena later struck the crossbar with a free kick.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute when Pedri found Cucurella on the left wing. His cross picked out Oyarzabal, who calmly slotted past Schlager to open the scoring.
Austria offered little resistance in attack. Their best chance fell to Stefan Posch in the first half, but a poor first touch saw him lose the ball before he could even shoot.
Spain extended their lead in the 66th minute after Alex Baena lifted a pinpoint cross to Porro, who headed home his first international goal. "It was a dominant display," the performance suggested, drawing "Oles" from the crowd as Spain controlled the tempo.
Austria made tactical changes by introducing tall strikers Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic in search of an outlet, but the approach yielded little. David Alaba made a crucial goalline clearance from Lamine Yamal, who was soon substituted to rest.
Oyarzabal sealed the rout in the 89th minute when Cucurella whipped in a cross to find him completely unmarked in the penalty area. He finished with ease to confirm Spain's passage to the knockout rounds.
Spain will now face either Portugal or Croatia in the last 16, with the tie scheduled for Monday in Dallas. The victory reinforces their status as one of the tournament's genuine contenders.
