'Invincible Armada' Spain Advances to Round of 16... Oyarzabal Scores Twice

[Anchor]

In the North and Central American World Cup, the "Invincible Armada" Spain, a strong favorite to win the title, has defeated Austria to advance to the Round of 16. Oyarzabal became the key contributor to the victory by scoring multiple goals.

Jeon Yeongmin reports.

[Reporter]

Spain dominated Austria from the beginning, led by 18-year-old rising star Yamal, but struggled to find the back of the net.

In the 29th minute of the first half, Cucurella found the net with a left-footed shot, but it was disallowed due to a foul by a teammate. Subsequent sharp shots from Yamal and Oyarzabal were also blocked by the goalkeeper.

The frustrating flow of the game changed in an instant in the 36th minute of the first half.

Oyarzabal connected with a low, fast cross from Cucurella on the flank, firing a left-footed shot to score the opening goal.

Afterward, Rodri's exquisite free kick hit the goalpost, and a shot from Yamal was saved by the goalkeeper, but Spain did not stop its offensive. In the 21st minute of the second half, they extended their lead.

After Cucurella intercepted the ball in the opponent's territory and Baena delivered a cross, Porro, a former Tottenham teammate of Son Heung-min, headed the ball in to score his debut goal in an international match, widening the gap. In the final moments of the second half, Oyarzabal, the scorer of the opening goal, completed his second multi-goal game of the tournament with his fourth goal, sealing the victory.

Spain, which overwhelmed Austria defensively by not allowing a single shot on target throughout the match, won 3-0 and advanced to the Round of 16.

Spain will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals against the winner of the Portugal-Croatia match on July 7.

(Video Editing: Hwang Ji-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.