Spain score two identical goals to leave Austria on verge of exit; second half underway

Just when Spain were beginning to get a strange sense of deja vu in their FIFA World Cup round of 32 clash with Austria in Los Angeles, Mikel Oyarzabal found himself isolated in the box, and he scored with consummate ease. Spain lead 2-0 going into the final quarter of the match.

The 36th-minute opener was a blight on the Austrian defence that had stayed compact and brave until then. Marc Cucurella's cut back should not have fallen kindly for Oyarzabal, nor should the Real Sociedad forward have had the luxury to have a free shot on target, with none closing in.

Perhaps it is fair to credit Luis de la Fuente for his tactics and the trust he regularly places in Oyarzabal, a striker who has a penchant for playing between the lines and is Spain's leading scorer in this edition with three goals.

As the game progressed, it became clear that the route taken for Oyarzabal's opener could be replicated, as the Austrian centre-backs remained deep, leaving space for Spanish attackers to exploit.

At minute 66, the Spaniards reproduced a copy of the opener. Alex Baena was the provider, and Pedro Porro, charging in from right back, was the beneficiary as he scored with a thumping header to make it 2-0.

Before the first goal, Spain had tried their best to find cracks in the Austrian defence, and managed on a few occasions, only to be thwarted by Alexander Schlager in goal. In the first half, Schlager made five saves, twice from point-blank. Lamine Yamal was in disbelief as the Salzburg goalkeeper stood big to keep out the young superstar's vicious left-footed strike.

Schlager had denied Yamal with an earlier effort and applied a fingertip save to turn over an Alex Baena freekick. In between, Cucurella had the ball in the net, but it was not given as a goal because of a foul on the keeper.

At the other end, Michael Gregoritsch could not stretch in time to meet a delicious cross from Marcel Sabitzer. Austria had failed to threaten Unai Simon with a meaningful attempt as long as Gregoritsch led the line, but his replacement, Sasa Kalajdzic, nearly scored with a first touch, but failed to keep his header down.

The winner of this match will play either Portugal or Croatia at Arlington on July 6.