By GREG BEACHAMFriday July 3, 2026
Spain entered this World Cup carrying the weight of a favorite, and it got through group play unbeaten. Yet for all that pedigree, the first three matches never quite looked like the statement many expected.
That changed Thursday night. Once the knockout stage began, the Spanish finally matched their reputation, flashing the sort of depth and precision that made them a title pick in the first place — and perhaps even a more dangerous one now.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored two goals and Spain beat Austria 3-0 for its first World Cup victory in a knockout match since winning the title in 2010.
Pedro Porro added a second-half goal as La Roja produced its sharpest display of the tournament, blending attacking invention with disciplined defending across a lineup loaded with talent.
“The great teams step up when it’s needed,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “We played a great match. We came close to perfection, but we must keep improving.”
Oyarzabal, fullback Marc Cucurella and winger Lamine Yamal each delivered eye-catching moments in attack, while Spain extended an even more striking run on the defensive end: it still has not conceded a goal in this World Cup. Austria never managed a shot on target, leaving Unai Simón without a save as he recorded his fourth straight shutout and set a World Cup mark with 519 consecutive scoreless minutes dating back to the last tournament in Qatar.
Red-clad Spain fans had plenty to celebrate in the Los Angeles area, though the mood inside the camp remained focused rather than festive.
“I’m happy to have helped the team for us to go through another round,” Oyarzabal said. “Now just rest and get ready for the next one. It was a complicated match. We knew that it was going to be difficult against a very physical team, but we had a very good day and played a good match.”
La Roja will next meet Portugal, which defeated Croatia 2-1, in Dallas on Monday in the round of 16.
Yamal accounted for four of Spain’s 10 shots on goal and drew loud reactions from the pro-Spanish sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium. The 18-year-old Barcelona standout played his longest stretch of the tournament before exiting in the 85th minute, just after Austria defender David Alaba blocked his blistering effort off the goal line.
Spain’s headline scorer was Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad captain who now has four goals at this World Cup. He opened the scoring in the 36th minute and sealed the result in the 89th, with Cucurella setting up both finishes from the left flank in a strong display of chemistry.
“Our only focus is to remain thinking that we need to exceed our own expectations,” De La Fuente said. “Today’s match is just the prelude to what’s next, because in the next match we will try to play even better. We have wonderful players. Their behavior, their attitude, their talent is insurmountable.”
Goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was a bright spot for Austria, finishing with six saves in a valiant effort. Austria reached the knockout stage of its first World Cup since 1998 after salvaging a late draw with an injury-time goal against Algeria, but Ralf Rangnick’s side has not won a knockout match at the World Cup since 1954.
“I cannot remember any unforced error they made,” Rangnick said of Spain. “I think they showed us their best performance. I would dare to say we did not only meet the European champion, but possibly the next world champion. If you want to win it, you need to win against Spain. But if we had a lucky punch, we could have had a chance.”
Spain has reestablished itself as a serious World Cup force for the first time since lifting the trophy in South Africa 16 years ago. Over the past three World Cups, La Roja was eliminated twice in the knockout rounds and once in the group stage.
Now, however, Spain is unbeaten in 35 consecutive competitive matches since March 2023. During that span, La Roja captured the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship, though it also fell to Portugal on penalties in the 2025 Nations League final.
After beginning cautiously against Austria, Spain accelerated after the first-half hydration break. Three minutes after Schlager made a diving fingertip save on Oyarzabal’s low drive, the Spain forward slipped free in the penalty area and calmly finished Cucurella’s pass.
Spain kept pressing after halftime and began producing some of the tournament’s most fluid attacking football. The reward came when Álex Baena surged down the left and floated a ball to the unmarked Porro, who powered in a header for his first international goal.
“People have their opinions, (but) we’ve been doing our job since Day 1,” Porro said. “We believe in ourselves, and whatever people on the outside say is fair enough.”
Oyarzabal put the match beyond reach by turning in another precise delivery from Cucurella.
Simón has now needed to make just four saves across his four straight shutouts. His 519-minute World Cup clean-sheet streak surpassed the previous tournament record of 517 minutes set by Italy’s Walter Zenga at the 1990 World Cup.
Marko Arnautović entered as a second-half substitute for Austria. Rangnick later said the 37-year-old striker had played his final match for the national team.
