Spain beats Austria 3-0 to reach World Cup quarterfinals
Spain dominated Austria 3-0 in the round of 16, keeping the opponent without a single shot on target. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice (36', 89') and Pedro Porro added one (66') as Spain advanced to face Portugal or Croatia.
Spain cruised into the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.
The first half was tense for the Spanish side, but they gradually took control. Just before the half-hour mark, Dani Olmo was close to scoring but Austria defender Stefan Posch cleared the ball. From the resulting corner, Marc Cucurella headed the ball into the net, but the referee blew for a foul on goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
In the 36th minute, Pedri drew several defenders before passing to Cucurella on the flank. Cucurella crossed into the box, and Mikel Oyarzabal slotted the ball into an empty net. Before halftime, Alex Baena hit the crossbar from a direct free kick, and Lamine Yamal’s follow-up shot was saved by Schlager.
Spain continued their dominance in the second half. In the 66th minute, Pedro Porro received a clever short pass from Baena and fired a sharp shot into the net. Late in the match, Oyarzabal completed his brace from a long diagonal pass by Cucurella (89').
Austria did not manage a single shot on target throughout the match. This marks the first time a team has not allowed a shot on target in a World Cup knockout game since Germany in the 2014 final. Lamine Yamal, aged 18 years and 354 days, became the youngest European player to be on the winning side in 10 matches at major tournaments.
Spain will face the winner of the Portugal vs. Croatia match in the quarterfinals on July 6.
