World Cup 2026, Spain cruise past Austria, reach R16: Stats
What's the story
Spain cruised into the Round of 16 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a resounding 3-0 victory over Austria. The Round of 32 match took place in Los Angeles and was a major boost for Luis de la Fuente's European champions. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice while Pedro Porro added another to seal the comfortable win. The result ended Austria's hopes of progressing further in the tournament. Here's more.
Match highlights
Oyarzabal and Porro hand Spain the advantage
Spain started the match on a strong note, with Marc Cucurella's goal controversially ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper. Despite the setback, they kept pushing forward. Oyarzabal finally broke the deadlock late in the first half, giving Spain a well-deserved lead. Lamine Yamal looked lively for Spain and managed 4 shots in the 1st half. However, Porro doubled Spain's advantage soon in the 66th minute after by heading in from close range, quashing Austria's hopes of a comeback.
Final touch
Oyarzabal's brace seals comfortable win for La Roja
Oyarzabal scored his second goal of the match in the dying minutes, converting Cucurella's cross. This not only sealed a convincing victory for Spain but also sent a clear message to other World Cup heavyweights. Despite some underwhelming performances in the group stage, Luis de la Fuente's team has yet to concede a goal at this tournament and is now 34 matches unbeaten within 90 minutes in competitive internationals.
Upcoming match
Spain eye glory as they return to knockout stage
Spain's next challenge in the tournament will be against either Portugal or Croatia. The team has shown glimpses of their potential throughout the tournament, and if they can maintain their defensive solidity, they have the firepower to take on stronger teams. This win over Austria marks Spain's first knockout stage victory since they were crowned champions back in 2010.
Oyarbazal
Oyarbazal clocks these numbers
As per Opta, Oyarzabal is the first Spain player to score two or more goals in two different matches of the same World Cup edition. In 57 matches for Spain across all competitions, the Real Sociedad legend has amassed 29 goals. In the ongoing World Cup, the star striker now owns 4 goals. It's also his overall tally at World Cups.
Do you know?
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon makes history
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon (519 minutes) became the goalkeeper with the longest unbeaten record in the history of the FIFA World Cup. He surpassed Walter Zenga's 517 minutes. Meanwhile, he also surpassed Iker Casillas's (476) record for most minutes without conceding a goal by a Spain goalkeeper.
Numbers
Here are the match stats
Spain had six shots on target in the first half. As per Opta, it's their highest tally in the opening 45 minutes of a FIFA World Cup match since 2006 against Saudi Arabia (7). Overall, Spain finished the game with 23 attempts and clocked 10 shots on target. Austria failed to have a shot on target from 5 attempts. Spain also managed a whopping 51 touches in the opposition box. Austria had 11 such touches. Spain had 64.5% ball possession.
Record
Oyarbazal closing in on Emilio and Villa
As per Squawka, Oyarzabal (4) is now only behind Emilio Butragueño and David Villa (5 each) in terms of most goals scored for Spain at a single World Cup tournament Most goals scored for Spain at a single World Cup tournament: 5 - Emilio Butragueño (1986) 5 - David Villa (2010) 4 - Mikel Oyarzabal (2026) 4 - Michel (1950) 4 - Zara (1950) 4 - Estanislau Basora (1950)
Twitter Post
Qualified!
🇪🇸 Spain have qualified for the Round of 16!#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 2, 2026