Spain 3-0 Austria: Oyarzabal Brace Sends La Roja Into the Last 16
Spain demolished Austria 3-0 in the World Cup 2026 Round of 32. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, Pedro Porro added a third. LMS players who picked Spain breathed easy.
3 July 2026
Spain put on a masterclass at SoFi Stadium on Thursday evening, dismantling Austria 3-0 with a performance that left nothing in doubt. If you picked Spain for your Last Man Standing pool this round, you were probably watching the second half with your feet up.
What Happened
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute, converting after Cucurella's incisive pass cut through Austria's defence. Pedro Porro made it 2-0 in the 66th minute, redirecting a low cross from Álex Baena. Oyarzabal completed his brace in the 89th minute, Cucurella again the creator, putting the gloss on what was already a comfortable win.
The numbers told the full story: Spain registered 23 shots. Austria managed five. None of Austria's five were on target. Not one.
What It Means for the Tournament
Spain advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Portugal — the match that served up Perisic, Ronaldo penalties, and a Ramos header in the 94th minute on the same evening. The Iberian derby, now in the knockout stages, is worth clearing your diary for.
Spain were one of the heaviest favourites in the draw and they delivered accordingly. Lamine Yamal was sharp throughout, Cucurella was the creative engine, and Oyarzabal took his goals calmly. Nothing ugly about this.
Austria: A Brief Eulogy
Austria qualified from a competitive Group J — finishing second behind Argentina — and that alone would have satisfied most of their fanbase in June. Facing the defending European champions in the first knockout round was always going to be a stern examination. The 3-0 scoreline was probably harsher than Austria deserved on the balance of their tournament, but football does not distribute justice evenly.
The LMS Angle
Spain were the obvious pick. Not a sexy pick, not a punt, not the sort of choice that generates admiring glances in your WhatsApp group — just the correct one. The pools player who backed Spain this round faces a considerably harder question next: how do you handle Spain vs Portugal in the Round of 16?
Two of Europe's heaviest hitters. No safe option. This is precisely where LMS pools get interesting — and where the survivors who saved bigger guns for later start to pull ahead.
Spain have been the more convincing side across the tournament. Portugal scraped through against Croatia on a 94th-minute Ramos header after Perisic had given Croatia the lead. Spain looked two or three gears sharper. That said, Ronaldo and Ramos in form is never comfortable. It will not be 3-0.
Round of 32: The Rest of Thursday
Alongside Spain's comfortable evening, Portugal needed extra drama (but not extra time) to eliminate Croatia, and Switzerland saw off Algeria 2-0 thanks to goals from Embolo and Ndoye. Three European sides through. Three very different routes to the last 16.
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