FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain ends 16 years of wait, enters TOP-16 by defeating Austria 3-0

Spain vs Austria, FIFA World Cup 2026: In the ‘Round of 32’ match of FIFA World Cup 2026, Spain defeated Austria 3-0 with its strong play. In this one-sided match played at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Spain not only forced Austria to kneel, but also tasted victory in a World Cup knockout match for the first time after winning the World Cup title in 2010. The hero of this explosive victory was Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored two brilliant goals. Now Spain will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the round of 16 match.

Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro’s explosion

The match started slowly, but Spain showed its aggressive attitude immediately after the drinks break of the first half. In the 36th minute of the match, when Mikel Oyarzabal scored the first goal of the match after excellent coordination between Pedri and Mark Cucurella, it was a historic moment. This was the first time a Spanish player had scored a goal in the World Cup knockout stage since Andrés Iniesta’s memorable extra-time goal in the 2010 final.

Spain’s dominance continued in the second half also. Alex Baena lifted the ball from the left side and sent it into the box, where unmarked Pedro Porro put the ball into the net with a powerful header. This was Poro’s first international goal. Just before the end of the match, in the 89th minute, Oyarzabal scored his second and the team’s third goal on another accurate pass from Cucurella, ensuring Spain’s 3-0 victory.

18 year old Lamin Yamal’s magic

Barcelona’s 18-year-old young sensation Lamin Yamal also had a big contribution in Spain’s victory. He kept the Austrian defense busy throughout the match and Yamal alone took 4 of Spain’s 10 on-target shots. At the same time, the strength of Spain’s defense in this World Cup can be understood from the fact that the team has not conceded a single goal in this tournament so far. The most surprising thing was that the Austrian team could not make a single ‘shot on target’ on Spain’s goal post in the entire match, due to which Simone did not have to make a single save in the match.