Spain finally have World Cup mojo back with first ...

Alex KirklandJul 2, 2026, 06:00 PM ET

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Lamine Yamal knew. "Once we reach our level -- and we will -- we'll be almost unstoppable," he said this week.

Spain didn't quite look unstoppable in this 3-0 win over Austria in the FIFA World Cup round of 32 on Thursday, but they did look like Spain again. And that's a warning sign to every other team at this tournament.

In three group games, there had been a sense that Spain were in second gear, held back by injuries and nullified by opponents who disrupted their rhythm. There had been moments of quality, when Yamal helped put four goals past Saudi Arabia, but no convincing, cohesive whole.

Until now. The reigning European champions needed this, a reminder of their quality, of what they can do when the opposition comes to play.

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The players feel that for Spain, expectations are always unreasonably high. "We're the only national team that's expected to play really well," Yamal said in that same radio interview. "For all the rest, winning is enough."

Other nations, like Brazil, might disagree. But given Spain's form, and their World Cup record stretching back over more than a decade, a win here was everything.

Spain's history in World Cup knockout games since they won the tournament in 2010 is appalling. Since then, until their trip to SoFi Stadium: three World Cups, zero knockout wins. In 2014, the reigning champions crashed out at the group stage. In 2018, they lost to hosts Russia in the round of 16. In 2022, Luis Enrique's much-fancied side was beaten by Morocco on penalties at the same stage.

Now, thanks to two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and another from Pedro Porro, Spain have won a knockout game again and are into the round of 16 of this expanded tournament.

Oyarzabal's 36th-minute opener -- after nice work from Pedri and Marc Cucurella -- was the first World Cup knockout stage goal scored by a Spanish player since Andrés Iniesta's iconic extra-time strike in the 2010 final. For a country that has never stopped producing elite players, whose clubs have continued to dominate European football, it's a laughably long time.

Yamal gets all the attention, always. Here, the TV cameras lingered on him as the squads made their way out onto the pitch before kickoff, Yamal glancing their way, a smile on his lips, up on the big screen. Later, he was named the game's MVP.

But Oyarzabal is just as important, and in terms of his record for Spain, even more so. The numbers are striking. Oyarzabal has 17 goals and six assists in his last 17 games for Spain. At this World Cup, Spain have scored eight goals, and Oyarzabal has been directly involved in five of them, with four goals and an assist. Only six players -- David Villa, Raúl González, Fernando Torres, Álvaro Morata, David Silva and Fernando Hierro -- have scored more goals in the history of the Spain men's national team.

On a cloudy morning, Austria started brightly. But their proactive approach under coach Ralf Rangnick, pushing up and pressing high, suited Spain.

Yamal looked desperate to impress, determined to make an impact and justify all the attention, just as he has in all his World Cup appearances so far. His first shot on goal came in the second minute. Three minutes later, his cross was blocked, and Yamal turned to the crowd -- most of whom were supporting Spain -- urging them to get behind the team.

Cucurella could have put Spain ahead after half an hour, but his goal was disallowed for what the referee deemed to be a foul by Pau Cubarsí on Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Oyarzabal came close minutes later, and then gave Spain the lead. It was only 1-0, but it also felt like Spain were warming up, and getting close to a level that Austria wouldn't be able to live with.

"We were in the game as long as it was 1-0," Rangnick said afterward. "We approached it with bravery. But we have to say we had a great opponent. We would have had a chance to go through, against anyone else."

Álex Baena could have doubled Spain's lead with a free kick that hit the bar; Yamal had a follow-up shot saved. In the second half, the gap in quality between the two teams became increasingly obvious.

Porro's header, from Baena's cross, made it 2-0, and as Rangnick admitted afterward, any prospect of a comeback disappeared. Yamal kept looking for his goal, having a shot cleared off the line, before Oyarzabal scored again, combining once again with Cucurella. The fullback's cross, in behind the defense, was inviting; Oyarzabal's first-time finish, guided into the corner, looked effortless.

It was a performance that justified coach Luis de la Fuente's continued faith in his team, despite its slow start at the tournament.

"As the days go by, I believe even more," he said Wednesday. "I'm an optimist. I've always believed in this team. For me, they're the best in the world." After this match, always effusive in his praise, he described this team performance as "almost perfection."

That judgment will be tested in the round of 16 and beyond. But this Spain team's potential -- with Yamal and Oyarzabal leading the way, and Baena, Cucurella and Porro not far behind -- is now undeniable.

"The World Cup starts now," Yamal said postmatch. "If you lose, you go home. And we don't want that. None of us want that."