Spain routs Austria while still working to reach World Cup champion form - BERITAJA

Spain achieved its superior extremity astatine SoFi Stadium connected Thursday, defeating Austria 3-0 and advancing to the World Cup information of 16 successful beforehand of a pro-Spain announced crowd of 70,492.

The Spaniards extended their unbeaten lucifer streak to 34 games and their triumph streak complete European teams to 35 making love backmost to 2023. They person yet to concede a extremity this tournament, tying the grounds for about consecutive men’s World Cup cleanable sheets pinch five.

By each metric, Spain controlled the lucifer and won decisively successful its champion capacity of the tournament.

But Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his squad still has room to amended and has yet to play its champion soccer.

The squad favored to triumph the World Cup earlier matches kicked disconnected past period is still ramping up and moving to title standards.

While France’s fearsome foursome led by the electrical Kylian Mbappé has bulldozed opponents, Norway’s Erling Haaland is scoring astatine a accelerated gait and Lionel Messi is dancing his measurement to immortality, Spain superstar Lamine Yamal is still waiting to present a multi-goal ascendant World Cup performance.

Yamal, an 18-year-old prodigy, showed flashes of his talent and group up his teammates good en way to winning man of the lucifer honors that much than a fewer Spanish media members questioned. But his businesslike teammates carried the scoring load Thursday, pinch Mikel Oyarzabal scoring 2 goals and Pedro Porro adding different for La Roja.

Spain has been managing Yamal’s minutes while he recovers from injury, but Thursday was expected to beryllium an opportunity to unleash his dominance.

“I deliberation we request to support improving our game, our strength — everything — but evidently we cognize the value we have, and we cognize we’re not acrophobic of immoderate team,” Yamal said aft the match. “We’re Spain, and we person to beryllium it connected the field, but we judge successful ourselves.”

Spain still precocious pinch easiness and will look the victor of the Portugal-Croatia lucifer to beryllium played later Thursday. Their information of 16 lucifer will beryllium played Monday successful Arlington, Texas. On July 10, the victor of that title will look the victor of Monday’s U.S.-Belgium lucifer astatine SoFi Stadium.

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick is convinced Spain, the European champions, easy could go World Cup champions.

“If you watched the crippled today, you would admit it is really difficult to play against this opponent,” Rangnick said of Spain. “... I cannot retrieve immoderate unforced correction they made.”

Spain’s de la Fuente shook his caput erstwhile he heard Rangnick’s praise, saying he was happy for his players and loves his squad but saw galore areas that could beryllium improved.

“There’s overmuch to do,” de la Fuente said, noting the title will only turn tougher. “The defense could still beryllium improved. There person been immoderate situations erstwhile we lacked precocious pressure. ... Prior to the first hydration break, the squad was still trying to evolve.

”... You request to support improving each the time.”

Spain guardant Lamine Yamal falls aft Austria midfielder Florian Grillitsch kicks the shot distant from him during the 2nd half Thursday.

(Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times)

During its information of 32 lucifer connected Thursday, Spain handled Austria’s precocious property and attacked spaces down the defense.

The Spanish squad capitalized connected its opponent’s protect misalignments, recovered extent down the wings and consistently exposed the Austrians’ protect weaknesses.

Austria came retired quickly looking to propulsion disconnected an upset, but it ran into a Spain squad that was well-organized defensively. The counterattack ended pinch Yamal firing a changeable consecutive astatine Austria goalkeeper Alex Schlager 1 infinitesimal into the game.

The Austrians tried to get down the Spanish defense, but their attacking productivity was constricted and they ne'er managed to move their promising opportunities into goals. One of Austria’s clearest chances came connected a play by Marcel Sabitzer, who sent a transverse from the near flank to guardant Michael Gregoritsch, who wasn’t accelerated capable to put a caput aliases ft connected the well-placed shot earlier it sailed retired of bounds.

The gait of the crippled favored Spain, arsenic Austria took risks connected the onslaught and near spaces open.

In the 29th minute, Yamal’s area footwear pinballed successful the punishment area earlier falling to Marc Cucurella, who appeared to score. The extremity was erased, however, because Spain tackled Austria’s goalkeeper earlier Cucurella took his shot.

Yamal was move early and a tally into the container about resulted successful different clear scoring opportunity. Schlager hardly had clip to respond and prevented different Spanish ceremony successful the 32nd minute.

Four minutes later, Cucurella sent a walk to Oyarzabal, who was near unmarked because David Alaba had near a ample spread betwixt himself and the forward. Oyarzabal connected pinch the transverse and easy scored to springiness Spain a 1-0 lead.

Spain had 2 awesome chances to widen its lead during first-half stoppage time. The first was a long-range changeable by Álex Baena that deed the crossbar; connected the rebound, Yamal fired the shot consecutive into the Austria goalkeeper’s body.

In the 2nd half, Yamal continued to unit the Spanish defenders and group up Oyarzabal for a changeable caught by the Austrian goalkeeper.

Rodri’s dribbling opened much abstraction for Spain, allowing him to create a shooting opportunity that grazed the station successful the 54th minute.

Austria was looking to onslaught much and brought connected Sasa Kalajdzic, who responded quickly pinch a header that sailed complete the crossbar.

Spain responded by scoring a fewer minutes later.

In the 66th minute, Baena won the shot backmost connected the near and sent successful a transverse for Porro, who headed successful his team’s 2nd goal. It was Porro’s first extremity for Spain during world competition.

In his last play earlier being replaced successful the 85th minute, Yamal received a walk wrong the punishment area and though he struck the shot good to hit the Austrian goalkeeper, different Austrian defender managed to artifact his shot.

When it seemed some teams were contented pinch the result, Cucurella erstwhile again linked up pinch Oyarzabal disconnected a heavy walk into the halfway of the punishment area. Oyarzabal sewage down 2 defenders and scored, sealing Spain’s 3-0 win.

“The crippled benignant of tells you what you request — whether the squad needs much connected discourtesy aliases much connected defense,” Porro said. “It’s about staying much focused connected that, and surely erstwhile you’re much assured successful what you person to do, you execute better.”