Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro gave Spain a 3-0 win over Austria in the round of 32.

Oyarzabal scored for the 28th and 29th time for the Spaniards, while Porro’s second-half header was his first for his country.

The Los Angeles Stadium saw the former World Cup winners win their first knockout game on the world stage since 2010, while the first knockout game saw Austria eliminated for the second tournament in a row.

Victory for Luis de la Fuente’s side means they will face the winner of Portugal against Croatia as the pair meet later on today.

First-half domination

The beginning of the first half saw Austria remain rigid in their shape, but Spain dominated possession despite not creating any meaningful chances.

The hydration break allowed the European Champions to alter the tempo of their play and, with Lamine Yamal constantly getting the better of Austrian fullback Konrad Laimer, the goal was coming.

They believed they had taken the lead on 29 minutes through a Yamal corner being converted by Marc Cucurella, but a foul was awarded by Glenn Nyberg on Alexander Schlager.

Spain need not have worried, as the goal came seven minutes later as Cucurella’s low cross was expertly converted by Oyarzabal, who netted his third World Cup goal.

Despite going ahead in the game, the former World Champions maintained their dominance on the game, with an Álex Baena free-kick crashing back off the crossbar just before half-time.

At the other end of the pitch, the chances were rare for Austria with Ralf Ragnick’s side not able to get the better of their opponent’s high defensive line.

Austria changes fail to make a difference

1-0 down at half-time, Ragnick opted to bring on Carney Chukwuemaka and Florian Grillitsch, and Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic joined them on the pitch at the hour-mark.

However, the substitutes failed to impact the game, with a Kalajdzic header going harmlessly over the bar.

Spain pull clear

Instead the first goal of the second half went to Spain.

Cucurella and Baena combined down Austria’s right-hand side, before the latter’s pacey cross was headed home by Porro, who scored his first World Cup goal.

Even at 2-0 with eight minutes to go, Spain continued to dominate.

A brilliant low cross from Cucurella perfectly picked out Oyarzabal, who calmly slotted the ball past Schlager to put the result beyond all doubt.

What is next?

The 3-0 defeat signals the end of a first World Cup since 1998 for Austria, but hopes of a second World Cup triumph are still alive for Spain.

They will play the winners of Portugal versus Croatia, with a potential semi-final against France to come.