Superb Spain reigns in LA

It was rewarded when Alex Baena broke down the left side and lifted a pass to an unmarked Porro, who banged home an emphatic header for his first international goal.

"People have their opinions, (but) we've been doing our job since day one," Porro said. "We believe in ourselves, whatever people on the outside say."

Oyarzabal wrapped it up in the 89th, converting another sharp pass from Cucurella.

Everybody in a red shirt was happy after a dominant day — but nobody was satisfied.

"Our only focus is to keep thinking that we need to exceed our own expectations," De la Fuente said.

"Today's match is just the prelude to what's next, because in the next match we will try to play even better. We have wonderful players. Their behavior, their attitude, their talent is insurmountable."

'The next champion'

Goalkeeper Alexander Schlager made six saves in an outstanding performance for Austria, which reached the knockout rounds of its first World Cup since 1998 by squeaking out a late draw with an injury-time goal against Algeria. Coach Ralf Rangnick's team hasn't won a knockout match at the World Cup since 1954.

"I cannot remember any unforced error they made," Rangnick said of Spain. "I think they showed us their best performance. I would dare to say we did not only meet the European champion, but possibly the next world champion.

"If you want to win it, you need to win against Spain, but if we had a lucky punch, we could have had a chance."

Spain is now unbeaten in 35 straight competitive matches since March 2023. La Roja won the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship in that stretch, but also lost the 2025 Nations League final on penalties to Portugal, which it will face in Dallas on Monday in the round of 16.

AP