INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Spain finally looked like the tournament favorite it’s supposed to be on Thursday.
The reigning European champions fired their way into the Round of 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria that seemed easier than an afternoon siesta.
La Roja lagged their way through the group stage with a shocking draw against Congo and an underwhelming win against Uruguay.
Thursday was more like the Spain everyone expected coming into the tournament: dominant in possession, methodically breaking down Austria and never looking anything less than comfortable against a visibly inferior opponent.
Mikel Oyarzabal set Spain out to a 1-0 lead after 36 minutes, passing the ball into the net from Marc Cucurella’s cross, but it could have been anyone after a post-hydration break stretch in which the Spanish probed Alexander Schlager’s goal for about 10 minutes before finally breaking through.
Pedro Porro’s 66th-minute header — the right back was allowed to arrive completely undefended into the box with Alex Baena taking up Austria’s attention — made it 2-0, and from there, it was a matter of seeing the game out.
For good measure, though, Spain added a third anyway on Cucurella’s ball to Oyarzabal that cut through Austria’s defense beautifully, setting the latter up for a simple finish.
After France and Argentina have churned through opposition with such ease, this was the first time any other contender’s performance has looked on a level with either 2022 finalist.
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Three weeks into the competition, it looked like Spain has finally welcomed itself into the World Cup.
