Siesta Is Over: 4 Takeaways As Spain Awakens In Convincing Win Over Austria

Now this is the Spain we all thought we were getting before the tournament. They kept the ball for fun, and spent 90 minutes in Los Angeles Stadium reminding everyone why they were labeled as co-favorites before a ball was kicked. The 3-0 scoreline flatters Austria. Mikel Oyarzabal opened it, Pedro Porro doubled it, and a late third put a bow on an afternoon that felt less like a knockout tie and more like a training exhibition with 70,000 witnesses. Here are four takeaways from Spain’s march into the last 16: 1. The Sleeping Giant Finally Wakes Up Let’s be honest about the group stage: Spain was dull. A 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in the opener was the kind of result that launched a thousand panicked radio segments in Madrid. Even the wins over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay felt more clinical than convincing. This was different. This was the Spain everyone feared in the pre-tournament projections — 65 percent possession, 23 shots, 10 on target, and a passing rhythm that turned Austria’s midfield into spectators with good seats. Luis de la Fuente’s side didn’t just win; they dictated every phase, every tempo shift, every restart. When a Marc Cucurella goal gets chalked off in the first half and nobody in red even flinches, you know the confidence has arrived. Champions tend to grow into tournaments. Spain just hit a growth spurt. 2. Basque In Mikel Oyarzabal’s Greatness He’s never played for Real Madrid. He’s never played for Barcelona. Mikel Oyarzabal has spent his entire career at Real Sociedad — over 400 appearances, 130-plus goals — and American casuals could walk past him at a Whole Foods without a second glance. Their loss. The 29-year-old came into this tournament having scored 13 goals in his previous 13 internationals, including a run of 12 straight starts with a goal or an assist. Add a brace against Saudi Arabia and Thursday’s opener against Austria, and the man who won Spain the Euro 2024 final is quietly building a Golden Boot case. All summer, the conversation has been Lamine Yamal this, Lamine Yamal that — and with Nico Williams out of form and nursing a leg injury, Spain needed someone else to carry the scoring load. Turns out the guy from the picturesque town of Eibar has been carrying it for a year. 3. No Shame, But Austria Didn’t Help Its Efforts There’s no shame in this for Austria — mostly. Ralf Rangnick’s side made its first World Cup knockout appearance since 1954, and its reward was a date with one of the most complete teams in the tournament. That’s not a tactical failure. That’s the bad luck of the draw. Still, the frustration boiled over. Cameras caught David Alaba and Florian Grillitsch shouting at each other as the game slipped away—the kind of scene that tells you a team knows it’s outgunned and about to go home. Austria managed five shots and not a single one on target, though Marcel Sabitzer’s deliveries deserved better — Sasa Kalajdzic’s header in the 61st minute was inches from making this a very different afternoon. It never came. Bowing out to this Spain side is noble enough. Doing it while arguing with their own teammates is a less flattering visual. 4. Spain’s Fullbacks Are The Cheat Code Everyone plans for Yamal. Nobody really plans for the fullbacks, and that’s exactly how de la Fuente likes it. Cucurella delivered the cross for Oyarzabal’s opener and thought he’d scored one himself before the referee intervened. On the other side, Pedro Porro — starting ahead of Marcos Llorente — arrived unmarked at the back post to head home Alex Baena’s cross for his first international goal. That’s the tactical wrinkle worth watching: while Austria doubled up on the wingers, Spain’s width came from behind them, with Baena drifting inside to create the space. And at the other end? A fourth straight clean sheet. Spain hasn’t conceded a goal at this World Cup. Great teams beat you with their stars. Terrifying ones beat you with their right back.