🎥 Bring on Portugal or Croatia! Spain dominate, reach Copa last 16 | OneFootball

The reigning European champions, Spain are another team through to the FIFA World Cup round of 16.

Thanks to goals from Oyarzábal (two) and Pedro Porro, La Roja beat Austria 3-0 this Thursday (2).

The match was played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. 

And now they await the winner of Portugal vs Croatia, who will face off later today (8pm Brasília time). 

Spain have now gone 34 matches without tasting defeat - since March 2024.

Check out the highlights below. 

Mikel Oyarzábal is... THE MAN!

The Real Sociedad forward continues to underline his status as the deadliest player of the Luis de la Fuente era. 

He scored Spain’s first goal of the match after an assist from Cucurella.

And he also wrapped things up in the 89th minute after yet another perfect cross from Real Madrid’s new full-back.

He now has 13 goals in 12 appearances for the national team this season - since last September. Four of them have come at the World Cup. 

It was his fifth direct goal involvement, as he also has an assist.

Only David Villa (five goals and one assist in 2010) is ahead of him among Spaniards at World Cups. 

He has drawn level with Míchel (four goals and one assist in 1990) and Butragueño (five goals in 1986). 

Now they’re rolling?

After struggling and failing to score against Cape Verde, and delivering a below-par display against Uruguay, Spain did what was expected of them.

They controlled Austria from the start and created enough chances for a rout.

Cucurella had even scored before Oyarzábal, but the play was ruled out for a foul.

And Schlager pulled off miracles from a free-kick and then by denying Yamal. 

The deserved second goal, considering Spain’s play on the ball, came through Pedro Porro (66').

A passing move, a battle for possession, and the loose ball fell to him to score for the first time for the national team.

The already mentioned second goal from Oyarzábal only reinforced the outstanding display from a Spain side that has “truly arrived”. 

Record for Unai Simón

The Bilbao player is now the goalkeeper with the longest clean-sheet streak in World Cup history.

📸 ETIENNE LAURENT - AFP or licensors

Among Spaniards, he had been behind Casillas and his 476 minutes across the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

And he also surpassed Walter Zenga. The former Italy goalkeeper had held the record with 517 minutes without conceding.

That came across five full matches at the 1990 World Cup, plus another 67 minutes before Caniggia scored for Argentina.

Unai Simón’s current streak began in the group-stage clash against Japan at the World Cup in Qatar, with 39 minutes.

He also kept a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw with Morocco in the round of 16 - Spain would go out on penalties. And now he has added four more full matches. 

Reaching 519 minutes. 

Highlights 👇🏽

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 PATRICK T. FALLON - AFP or licensors