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

LOS ANGELES: Spain moved into the World Cup last 16 with a comfortable 3-0 win over Austria on Thursday, producing a controlled display highlighted by two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a header from Pedro Porro.

The European champions dictated possession for long stretches and repeatedly opened up the Austrian defence in Los Angeles. The victory, which also featured a disallowed Spanish goal and a free kick that struck the woodwork, set up a round-of-16 meeting with either Portugal or Croatia.

The match at SoFi Stadium unfolded in front of a crowd dominated by Spain supporters, with actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem and singer Rosalia among those in attendance. Spain built pressure gradually in the opening half and began creating a series of chances after the first hydration break.

Marc Cucurella believed he had given Spain the lead from a Lamine Yamal corner, but the effort was ruled out after Pau Cubarsi was judged to have impeded Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Schlager then produced a diving save to turn away a low shot from Oyarzabal.

Spain eventually went ahead in the 36th minute. Pedri switched play to the left for Cucurella, whose delivery into the area was met by Oyarzabal, who guided the ball past the goalkeeper. Spain continued to control the game, with Yamal causing sustained problems for Austria, particularly down the right.

Alex Baena came close to adding a second when his free kick hit the crossbar, and Yamal was denied from close range. Austria had a rare opening before halftime when Romano Schmid found Stefan Posch arriving unmarked, but Posch lost possession after a poor first touch before he could get a shot away.

Austria introduced the tall forwards Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic after the interval and quickly adopted a more direct approach. Kalajdzic soon headed over the bar, but Spain remained in control and doubled their lead in the 66th minute when Baena floated in a cross for Porro to head home his first goal for Spain.

Austria managed several defensive interventions to prevent the margin from growing further, including a goal-line clearance by David Alaba from Yamal. The Spain winger was then taken off to be rested as his side continued to move the ball around confidently, drawing chants of Oles from the crowd.

Spain added a third in the 89th minute when Cucurella delivered another precise cross and found Oyarzabal unmarked in the penalty area, allowing him to finish for his second goal of the night. Attention now turns to Monday's next match in Dallas, where Spain face a tougher test in the knockout stage.