From World Cup pain to 9-0, Spain v Austria through history 🇪🇸🇦🇹 | OneFootball

Spain and Austria meet this Thursday in the World Cup round of 32, a clash with a history full of unfinished business. Although La Roja have dominated the most recent meetings, the past hides battles that demand the utmost caution from Luis de la Fuente’s side.

The most bitter memory for the Spanish national team dates back to the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. On that occasion, the Austrian side won 2-1 in the group stage, a painful defeat that ended up costing Spain an early exit from the tournament.

However, football always offers revenge, and the sweetest one came in 1999 on the road to the European Championship. Mestalla witnessed a historic night in which Spain crushed Austria with an emphatic 9-0, led by a legendary display from Raúl González.

The most recent meeting between the two national teams dates back to November 2009, in a very different context. Spain visited Vienna as reigning European champions and swept aside their opponents with a commanding 1-5 win that confirmed their golden era.

The overall record favors La Roja, but World Cup knockout ties do not care about the past. This Thursday, De la Fuente’s men will look to impose their status as favorites to book their place in the quarter-finals and confirm that history is still on their side.

The meetings between Spain and Austria

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

📸 Peter Schatz - Bongarts