Spain sweep aside Austria 3-0 to reach World Cup last 16

LOS ANGELES: Spain coasted past Austria and into the World Cup last-16 on Thursday (Jul 2), thoroughly outclassing their opponents in a 3-0 knockout win with a brace from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header.

The European champions controlled possession and sliced through the Austrian defence in a typically dominant performance in Los Angeles, as Hollywood stars Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and singer Rosalia cheered on.

The win - which could have been by a greater margin, with a disallowed goal and a free kick off the woodwork - sets up a tantalising round-of-16 clash with either Portugal or Croatia.

The SoFi Stadium was a sea of red and excitement was sky-high over the first visit by a bona fide World Cup favourite to America's second city.

Spain ratcheted up the pressure gradually through the first half, creating a string of chances after the first hydration break.

Marc Cucurella thought he had scored from a Lamine Yamal corner, but Pau Cubarsi was judged to have encroached on Austria's goalkeeper.

Alexander Schlager then made a superb diving save, pushing Oyarzabal's low shot around the post.

Austria's defence finally buckled in the 36th minute. Pedri pinged a ball wide left to Cucurella, whose cross to Oyarzabal was calmly side-footed past the keeper.

Spain's dominance grew further, with Yamal tormenting the Austrians, mainly from the right flank.

An Alex Baena free kick hit the crossbar, and Yamal's close-range follow-up shot was well saved.

Austria spurned a rare chance at the other end. Romano Schmid played in a late-arriving and unmarked Stefan Posch, but a terrible first touch meant he lost the ball before even attempting a shot.

"OLE"

After the break, Spain continued knocking on the door without quite putting the game to rest.

Austria sent on two giant strikers - Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic - and immediately went long, with Kalajdzic putting a header over the bar.

But in the 66th minute, Spain struck again. Baena lifted a cross onto the head of Pedro Porro, who nodded in his first goal for Spain.

Some dogged defending kept the scoreline respectable, including a goalline clearance by David Alaba from Yamal, who was substituted off to rest moments later.

Spain sprayed passes around the pitch as the final minutes ticked down, eliciting "Oles" from the crowd, as attention turned to a sterner test on Monday in Dallas.

In the 89th minute, a pinpoint Cucurella cross found a completely unmarked Oyarzabal in the penalty area, who slotted the ball home.

FEET ON THE GROUND

But Spain coach Luis de la Fuente refused to get carried away after his side's commanding 3-0 victory over Austria, insisting there was still plenty of room for improvement and warning that "satisfaction can kill".

"I have many reasons to be happy today. First because of the victory, we won significantly and the image of the team was fabulous," De la Fuente, whose team have yet to concede a goal at the tournament, told reporters.

"But there is still room for improvement. Perhaps you think you have seen the best of us, but this team has not yet reached its capabilities. There is more to do."

De la Fuente said Spain's progress had been built on a long-term process rather than one standout performance and stressed that the knockout rounds would demand even higher standards.

"Today's performance should be the foundation for what comes next," he added. "We are going to keep improving and doing things better ... We are not yet satisfied, we are going for more."

De la Fuente also cautioned against believing Spain had reached their peak after another impressive defensive display in which Austria failed to register a shot on target.

"There were situations where we lacked high pressure. You need to keep improving all the time," he said. "When you get flattered and believe it, you become weaker. Satisfaction can kill you."

The 65-year-old was full of praise for his left-back Cucurella, who provided two assists for Oyarzabal, calling him "invaluable" and "a top-notch player".

"The next phase will be increasingly demanding," De la Fuente added. "We have wonderful players, but the only focus is to exceed our own expectations."

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