Oyarzabal Scores Twice as Spain Advances to Round of 16

Spain has advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a decisive victory over Austria.

In the Round of 32 match held at Los Angeles Stadium in the United States today (July 3), Spain defeated Austria 3-0, led by Mikel Oyarzabal, who recorded his second multi-goal game of the tournament.

This marks Spain's first victory in a World Cup knockout stage match in 16 years, since winning the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

In the three World Cups held since then, Spain had endured a long drought, suffering two knockout stage losses and one group stage elimination.

Spain has yet to concede a single goal in this tournament.

On this day, Austria failed to record a single shot on target against Spain's flawless defense.

Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon, who did not have to make a single save, extended his streak to four consecutive clean sheets in the World Cup.

This match was the second-ever World Cup encounter between Spain and Austria.

Spain avenged its 1-2 loss to Austria at the 1978 Argentina World Cup, 48 years later.

Spain will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals against the winner of the Portugal-Croatia match at Dallas Stadium in the United States on July 7 at 4:00 a.m.

After a cautious start, Spain increased its offensive intensity following the water break in the first half.

In the 36th minute, Oyarzabal calmly finished a low cross from Marc Cucurella with his left foot to open the scoring.

During first-half stoppage time, Spain faced some misfortune when a free kick by Alex Baena struck the crossbar.

Spain's offensive pressure continued in the second half.

In the 66th minute, Pedro Porro headed in a cross from Baena on the left to make it 2-0. This was Porro's debut goal for the Spanish national team.

In the 89th minute, Oyarzabal connected with another low cross from Cucurella on the left, firing a right-footed shot into the net.

Oyarzabal, who scored two goals in the group stage match against Saudi Arabia, recorded his second multi-goal game of the tournament, bringing his total to 4 goals and joining the race for the Golden Boot.

Spain's 18-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal recorded 4 shots on target and played the longest duration of the match before being substituted in the 85th minute.

Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager performed well, recording 6 saves, but it was not enough to prevent the defeat.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said, "Great teams shine when it matters most," adding, "We played a near-perfect game, but we must continue to improve. There is always room for improvement, and every match from here on will be very difficult."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.