Oyarzabal scores twice as Spain beats Austria to reach last 16

Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and Pedro Porro added the first goal of his Spain career as La Roja beat Austria 3-0 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday to reach the World Cup last 16. The result did more than extend Spain’s stay in the tournament. It reinforced the idea that Luis de la Fuente’s team is becoming one of the most complete sides in the field, with reliable finishing, contributions from the back line and a defense that has still not been breached.

Oyarzabal struck in the 36th minute to put Spain ahead before halftime, then finished again in the 89th. Marc Cucurella supplied both assists, underlining how Spain has found production beyond its headline attackers. Porro, the Tottenham Hotspur fullback, made it 2-0 in the 66th minute for his first goal for Spain and his first at a World Cup, a secondary scoring boost that gave the match a different shape after the break.

Spain controlled the game from the start and never allowed Austria to settle. The numbers showed the gap clearly: Spain outshot Austria 23-5 and led 10-0 in shots on target, while also keeping its clean sheet intact in the tournament. The victory lifted Spain’s unbeaten run to 34 matches and delivered its first World Cup knockout win since the title run in 2010, a stretch that had hung over previous campaigns whenever the stakes rose.

For a team that entered the match unbeaten at this World Cup, the performance suggested more than simple progression. Spain did not rely on a single scorer or a narrow margin. Oyarzabal’s sharp finishing, Porro’s breakthrough and Cucurella’s service all pointed to depth, while the defensive record hinted at a side built to survive the tighter margins of the knockout rounds.

Spain will now face the winner of Portugal and Croatia in the round of 16, with the path growing steeper and the ceiling looking higher.