Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain powered into the World Cup round of 16 with a convincing 3–0 victory over Austria at SoFi Stadium on Thursday, extending their unbeaten run to 34 matches.

After a shaky group stage that included an unexpected draw with Cape Verde, Spain rediscovered their spark at the perfect time. They now look ahead to a last-16 showdown on Monday in Arlington, Texas, against either Portugal or Croatia.

"The great teams rise to the occasion," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. "We played a fantastic match—close to perfect—but we must keep improving. Every game ahead will be tough."

The victory carried extra weight for Spain, marking their first knockout-stage win at a World Cup since the 2010 final against the Netherlands. Their 2014 group-stage exit and early eliminations in the two subsequent tournaments made this breakthrough long overdue. Oyarzabal's goal was Spain's first knockout strike since Andrés Iniesta's iconic extra-time winner in South Africa.

The Real Sociedad forward opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a crisp first-time finish following neat interplay between Pedri and Marc Cucurella. He later sealed the dominant display with another cool finish from a Cucurella cross, taking his tournament tally to four goals and his overall record to 17 in his last 16 starts for Spain. His 29 international goals now tie him with Fernando Hierro for sixth place on Spain's all-time scoring list.

"I'm happy to have helped the team advance," Oyarzabal said. "Now it's about resting and preparing for the next one. It was a tough match against a very physical side, but we had a great day and played well."

Defender Pedro Porro added his first international goal midway through the second half, heading home from Álex Baena's delivery.

Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was at the heart of Spain's best attacking moments, especially in the first half, thrilling a crowd of over 70,000. He came agonizingly close to scoring with a late effort that was cleared off the line by Austria defender David Alaba.

Yamal and fellow Barcelona youngster Pau Cubarsí made history as the first pair of teenagers to start a World Cup knockout match for a team since Pelé and José Altafini did so for Brazil in the 1958 quarterfinal. Cubarsí has also played a key role in Spain's defensive solidity, with goalkeeper Unai Simón keeping his fourth consecutive clean sheet of the tournament.