The best Spain returns

The Spanish team beat Austria this Thursday (3-0) at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, in the round of 32 of the World Cup between the United States, Mexico and Canada, thanks to a double from Mikel Oyarzabal and another from Pedro Porro, in a match that, in addition to the pass to the round of 16, marked the return of the best version of Luis de la Fuente’s team.

When the real World Cup began, in the qualifiers, the best Spain returned. Dispelling doubts, with fluid and vertical football, but without giving up the defensive solidity that is characterizing it in the tournament. The football flowed in a midfield formed by Dani Olmo, who returned to the starting lineup, Rodrigo Hernández and Pedri, who shone with and without the ball. In addition, Unai Simón, who recorded his fourth clean sheet in the tournament, became the goalkeeper with the longest unbeaten streak in the history of the World Cup with 519 minutes, surpassing the Italian Walter Zenga.

A duel against a powerless Austria that unbalanced the goals of Oyarzabal (29), who with his double surpassed Fernando Morientes and equaled in sixth place with Fernando Hierro on the list of the team’s all-time top scorers, and Pedro Porro, who scored his first goal as a senior international. A match in which Atlético de Madrid centre-back Marc Pubill also made his debut in an official match with the Spain shirt.

Luis de la Fuente chose not to test and repeat the eleven that gave the best result in the group stage, against Saudi Arabia, with Pedro Porro at right back and Dani Olmo at midfield. And Spain’s staging would be good, with the first shot on goal, by Lamine Yamal, before the first minute of play was up. And it would be the tone of the first minutes, in which the only thing missing was precision in the last pass.

But little by little Austria equalized the match based on personality with the ball and intensity in the pressure. Only Lamine with his bursts, although always with two attentive players, was able to overcome the last Austrian line. But the hydration break was good for Spain, who found the best play of the game with a triangulation by Pedri, Lamine and Olmo, causing a corner that ended in a goal disallowed by Cucurella, due to Cubarsí’s foul on the Austrian goalkeeper.

In fact, the Spanish siege continued with a double chance, first with a shot by Lamine Yamal and then with another by Oyarzabal, both resolved with two great stops by Schlager. And the resistance of Ralf Rangnick’s team would end up falling. Pedri drove and divided to open Cucurella, who put a low pass behind for the shot by Spain’s goal man, Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored his third goal in the World Cup.

Deserved advantage for a Spain that was accumulating the best minutes of the tournament. Although, after several inaccuracies from the Spanish midfield, Austria would get closer in the final stretch of the first half to the goal of Unai Simón who surpassed Iker Casillas as the Spanish goalkeeper who accumulated the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in the World Cups. And before going to the locker room, Baena, with a free kick that hit the crossbar, and Lamine, with a free shot, were about to double the ‘Roja’s’ lead.

The second half started with a change in the Austrian team, which brought on Chukwuemeka and Grillitsch to give the team more presence in the midfield. However, the tone remained the same as in the last minutes of the first half, with Spain fluid and stealing in the rival half. And Spain would begin to accumulate several plays with a sense of danger, which lacked clarity in the definition.

And in the face of overwhelming Spanish dominance, Rangnick would make two other offensive changes, Arnautovic and Kalajdzic. Two references above with which to try to put the immaculate ones, until that moment, Laporte and Cubarsí in trouble. However, what would come would be Spain’s second goal. A play on the left wing would end with a cross from Baena who would head it, arriving from the second line, Pedro Porro at the back of the net, who would score his first goal as a senior international.

Justice was done to what was being seen on the grass of the SoFi Stadium, and with the pass to the round of 16 on track, Luis de la Fuente took the opportunity to bring on Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino, instead of Álex Baena and Dani Olmo, both notables. All of this after the hydration break in the second half, which slowed down the pace of the match, allowing Austria to get more active on the Spanish field. Of course, the ‘Red’ began to have spaces to run on the counterattack.

And in those would come the third and last goal of the game. Spain found depth again through Cucurella on the left wing. And as happened with the first goal, the new Real Madrid player contacted a completely alone Oyarzabal inside the area, who only had to push her to score his double in the match and his fourth goal in the World Cup.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–RESULT: SPAIN, 3 – AUSTRIA, 0 (1-0, at halftime).

–ALIGNMENTS:

ESPAÑA: Unai Simon; Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte (Pubill, min.90+3), Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri (Fabián, min.90+3); Lamine Yamal (Gavi, min.85), Olmo (Merino, min.71), Baena (Ferran, min.71); y Oyarzabal.

AUSTRIA: A.Schlager; Posch (Prass, min.85), Danso, Alaba, Laimer; Seiwald (Chukwuemeka, min.46), X.Schlager (Grillitsch, min.46); Schmid (Kalajdzic, min.60), Wanner, Sabitzer; y Gregoritsch (Arnautovic, min.60).

–GOALS.

1-0, minute 36: Oyarzabal.

2-0, minute 66: Pedro Porro.

3-0, minute 89: Oyarzabal.

–REFEREE: Glenn Nyberg (SUE). Posch was cautioned (min.83) by Austria.

–STADIUM: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (United States).