Oyarzabal scores twice as Spain dominates Austria in World Cup knockout
Mikel Oyarzabal's brace and a Pedro Porro header helped Spain cruise past Austria 3-0 and advance to the World Cup round of 16.
Spain secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Austria in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage on Thursday, setting up a round-of-16 clash against either Portugal or Croatia. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, and Pedro Porro added a header as the European champions completely outclassed their opponents in Los Angeles.
The Spanish team controlled possession and sliced through the Austrian defense with ease. The win could have been by a larger margin, as one goal was disallowed and a free kick hit the crossbar. Celebrities Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and singer Rosalia were among the spectators cheering for Spain.
"I'm happy to help the team and get through to the next round. Now we need to rest," Oyarzabal said after the match. "They were a physical side and difficult to play against, but we played a good match. We're happy to qualify."
Regarding the next opponent, Oyarzabal stated, "It doesn't matter who we face in the next round; I have friends in both teams."
Spain built pressure gradually in the first half. Marc Cucurella thought he had scored from a Lamine Yamal corner, but Pau Cubarsi was penalized for encroaching on the Austrian goalkeeper. Alexander Schlager then made a superb save to deny Oyarzabal.
The deadlock was broken in the 36th minute. Pedri played the ball wide to Cucurella, whose cross was calmly side-footed home by Oyarzabal. Yamal continued to torment the Austrian defense, mainly from the right wing. Alex Baena's free kick hit the crossbar, and Yamal's follow-up shot was saved.
After the break, Spain continued to press. Austria brought on tall strikers Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic and switched to long balls, but without success. In the 66th minute, Baena lifted a cross onto Porro's head, who nodded in his first goal for Spain. David Alaba cleared a shot from Yamal off the line.
In the closing stages, Spain controlled possession, drawing "Oles" from the crowd. In the 89th minute, a precise Cucurella cross found an unmarked Oyarzabal, who slotted the ball in to seal the victory.
