INGLEWOOD, California, July 2 - Spain advanced to the World Cup round of 16 with a dominant 3-0 victory over Austria on Thursday powered by a double from Mikel Oyarzabal and another outstanding defensive effort. Spain, who arrived at the tournament among the favourites and have yet to concede a goal, will next face Portugal or Croatia for a place in the quarter-finals. The Spaniards started brightly, with Lamine Yamal repeatedly troubling Austria's defence as La Roja pressed for an early breakthrough on a sunny day in Southern California. Spain thought they had gone ahead on a short-range shot by Marc Cucurella, but the effort was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. The pressure finally paid off when Marc Cucurella whipped a precise cross into the area and Oyarzabal steered it into the bottom corner, igniting the Spain-heavy crowd. Schlager kept Austria in the match before halftime, producing back-to-back saves from a free kick and the ensuing scramble to ensure his side went into the interval trailing by only one. Austria's best opportunity of the second half came when a lovely cross into the box was headed by Sasa Kalajdzic, but the ball landed harmlessly on top of the goal. Austria, who squeaked into the knockout round with a last-gasp goal to draw with Algeria, struggled to create clear chances against a Spain side who remained composed in possession and disciplined at the back to continue their shutout streak at the tournament. Pedro Porro added Spain's second in the 66th minute with a header into the middle of the net in front of a sold-out crowd that included Spanish actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Oyarzabal struck again in the 89th minute for his fourth goal of the tournament following a defensive lapse by a visibly frustrated Austrian side. Spain, World Cup winners in 2010, made an uncertain start to the tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde that raised questions about their form. But they were far more assured against Austria and will take encouragement from the performance of 18-year-old Lamine, who looked to have shaken off the hamstring injury that hampered him earlier in the tournament.
(Reporting by Joe Brock, editing by Ed Osmond)
