California. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain delivered its most convincing performance of the tournament, defeating Austria 3-0 on Thursday to reach the World Cup round of 16 with its first knockout-stage victory since winning the title in 2010.

Pedro Porro added a second-half goal as Spain showcased the attacking quality and defensive discipline that have made the European champions one of the tournament favorites.

"The great teams step up when it's needed," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. "We played a great match. We came close to perfection, but we must keep improving."

Spain will face Portugal in the round of 16 on Monday after the Portuguese defeated Croatia 2-1 earlier in the day.

While Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Lamine Yamal spearheaded the attack, Spain's defense remained equally impressive. Austria failed to register a shot on target, allowing goalkeeper Unai Simón to extend his shutout streak to four consecutive World Cup matches. His 519-minute scoreless run dating back to the 2022 tournament in Qatar set a new World Cup record, surpassing Italy's Walter Zenga.

"I'm happy to have helped the team advance," Oyarzabal said. "It was a complicated match against a very physical team, but we had a very good day."

Yamal, the 18-year-old Barcelona star, produced another standout display, firing four of Spain's 10 shots on target and drawing loud cheers from the crowd at SoFi Stadium. He nearly scored late in the match before Austria defender David Alaba cleared his effort off the goal line.

Spain broke through in the 36th minute when Oyarzabal finished Cucurella's precise cross after goalkeeper Alexander Schlager had denied him moments earlier.

The European champions continued to dominate after halftime and doubled their lead when Álex Baena delivered a cross to an unmarked Porro, who headed home his first international goal.

"People have their opinions, but we've believed in ourselves since Day 1," Porro said.

Oyarzabal sealed the victory in the 89th minute, once again finishing a well-worked move created by Cucurella, who assisted both of his goals.

"Our only focus is to keep exceeding our own expectations," De la Fuente said. "Today's match is only the beginning because we'll try to play even better in the next one."

Austria, playing in its first World Cup knockout match since 1998, struggled to cope with Spain's relentless pressure despite an impressive six-save performance from Schlager.

"I cannot remember any unforced errors they made," Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. "They showed us their best performance. We didn't just face the European champions — possibly the next world champions."

Spain has now gone 35 consecutive competitive matches without defeat since March 2023, a run that includes triumphs in the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship. After disappointing exits in each of the past three World Cups, La Roja appears firmly back among the tournament's leading contenders.

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