Spain guarantees place in the round of 16 of the World Cup by beating Austria 3-0 and goalkeeper Unai Simón reaches historic milestone
The Spanish team secured their place in the round of 16 of the World Cup by defeating Austria 3-0, in a match played this Thursday (2) in Inglewood, near Los Angeles, in the United States. The result confirmed the Spanish advance in the competition.
The team’s goals were scored by Oyarzabal, who found the net on two occasions, and Pedro Porro. The defensive invulnerability of Fúria, who did not concede goals in the match, allowed them to equal a record set by Italy in the 1990 World Cup, when the Italian team remained for five consecutive games without having their defense leaked, reaching the semi-final.
With his outstanding performance, Oyarzabal reached the mark of four goals in this World Cup, repeating the feat of finding the net twice, as had already happened against Saudi Arabia. The Spanish player now finds himself just two goals behind the competition’s current top scorers, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé.
Spain extended their remarkable unbeaten run, with coach Luis de la Fuente’s team going an impressive 34 matches without defeat. In the group stage of this World Cup, the team advanced first in Group H, after a draw with Cape Verde and convincing victories over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, guaranteeing its presence in the knockout stages.
In contrast, Austria recorded their second defeat in the World Cup. Under the command of coach Ralf Rangnick, the team had beaten Jordan in the opening match, but was surpassed by Argentina afterwards and secured second place in Group J after a draw with Algeria in the last round of the initial phase.
In the next phase of the tournament, Spain will face the winner of the clash between Portugal and Croatia, whose game is scheduled to take place today, starting at 8pm (Brasília time).
The Spanish team’s next match already has a defined date and location: the game will be held on Monday (6), at 4pm, at the AT&T Stadium, located in Arlington, a location neighboring Dallas, in the United States.
Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón surpasses Iker Casillas and Zenga’s historic record
Archer Unai Simón achieved a remarkable feat by surpassing a record that belonged to the legendary Iker Casillas, Spain’s idol and world champion in 2010. The national team’s number 23 broke the Spanish mark for minutes without being leaked, surpassing the 476 minutes that Casillas had kept in 2010.
Simón now holds the title of goalkeeper with the most clean sheets at the World Cup. He equaled the record of the Italian Zenga, who played five games without losing in the 1990 World Cup, and went further, surpassing him in total minutes, due to extra time against Morocco, with a total of 519 minutes compared to 517.
This feat comprises four games from the current 2026 World Cup and another match from the 2022 World Cup, specifically the round of 16 match against Morocco, where Fúria was eliminated on penalties after a goalless draw in regular time and extra time.
Details of the match between Spain and Austria at SoFi Stadium
In the 28th minute of the first half, the Spanish team had a goal disallowed. Lamine Yamal took a corner effectively, and Schlager managed to clear the ball with a punch. On the rebound, the ball was in the small area for Cucurella, who finished strongly and found the net. However, referee Glenn Nyberg signaled a foul by Cubarsí on the opposing goalkeeper, invalidating the goal.
Shortly after, seven minutes later, Fúria opened the scoring. Pedri advanced with the ball in the middle and made a precise throw to Cucurella, who was on the left wing. The full-back observed the play and crossed low towards Oyarzabal. The number 21 finished first time, with no chance for the goalkeeper, and scored the first goal of the match.
In the second half, Spain managed to extend its advantage. In the 20th minute, Cucurella won a ball dispute at the edge of the area and passed it to Baena, who was on the left. The number 15 crossed into the area, and Pedro Porro appeared at speed to head the ball with precision, sending it into the back of the Austrian net.
In the 43rd minute of the second half, Cucurella again served Oyarzabal to score. The full-back received the ball on the left side of the field and made a brilliant pass to the number 21, who advanced unmarked, deflected the ball close to the penalty mark and consolidated the third goal for the Spanish team.
Statistics and lineups for the decisive clash
- Final result: Spain 3 x 0 Austria
- Game date and time: July 2, 2026, 4pm (Brasília time)
- Tournament: World Cup – Second Phase
- Match venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, United States
- Main referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
- Assistants: Mahbod Beigi and Andreas Soderkvist (Sweden)
- Video referee (VAR): Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)
- Yellow card: Posch (Austria)
- Scorers: Oyarzabal (at 35′ and 43′ of the 1st half) and Pedro Porro (at 20′ of the 2nd half) for Spain
SPAIN LINEUP: Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte (replaced by Pubill), Pau Cubarsí and Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Baena (exchanged for Ferran Torres) and Pedri (leaving for Ruiz); Lamine Yamal (entering Gavi), Mikel Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo (with Merino in place). Coach: Luis de la Fuente.
AUSTRIA LINEUP: Alexander Schlager; Stefan Posch (replaced by Prass), Kevin Danso, David Alaba and Konrad Laimer; Xaver Schlager (replaced by Grillitsch), Nicolas Seiwald (with Chukwuemeka), Paul Wanner, Romano Schmid (joining Kalajdzic) and Marcel Sabitzer; Michael Gregoritsch (leaving for Arnautovic). Coach: Ralf Rangnick.
