Spain – Austria: More than One Way to Skin a Cat (3-0)

Spain have signaled that their tournament might only go as far as their 18-year-old sensation can take the team, and their next opponents were ready to put that theory to the test. But the reigning European champions claimed a commanding triumph even without a virtuoso display from their top forward as other tools took apart the Austrians with relative ease in Los Angeles.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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Many predicted Spain to stand a strong chance of claiming their second World Cup title at the start of the competition. Their track record this summer has not been superlative with subpar performances against Cape Verde and Uruguay, but the team have ticked off the top targets on their checklist from that first phase of the campaign. La Roja wrapped up a first-place finish with an unbeaten record and no goals conceded, aiming to find fluidity and rhythm in their game as the tournament ticks along.

Austria aspire to exceed expectations upon their passage to the second phase of the World Cup for the first time since 1982. They were touted to be quarter-finalists in the European Championships for the first time ever in 2024, but a 2-1 defeat to Turkey scuppered those ambitions. Ralf Rangnick remained in the dugout, and he oversaw a successful start to this campaign as his team finished in second spot to Argentina in the group stage. This task would force the team to take their game to another level.

Rangnick rotated three members of the starting eleven he picked in the thrilling 3-3 draw against Algeria. Philipp Mwene made way for Konrad Laimer to act as the left back while Kevin Danso partnered with David Alaba in the center of the defense, pushing Philipp Lienhart onto the bench. Paul Wanner was introduced into the midfield unit to support Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager. Michael Gregoritsch got an opportunity as the central forward, displacing Marko Arnautović.

Similarly, Luis de la Fuente fielded nine of the eleven men he used in the team’s last group stage game against Uruguay. In the absence of Dani Carvajal, he again switched his selection at right back: Pedro Porro played instead of Marcos Llorente. Pedri and Rodri remained the two key figures in the engine room while Mikel Merino made way for Dani Olmo as the ten. Álex Baena continued to feature from the left wing in place of Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal operated upfront.

Yamal earns the opposition’s attention

The Spaniards became kings of the continent in 2024 largely thanks to the emergence of a superstar: Yamal has the technique, intelligence and speed to engineer all sorts of openings on the ball. Their opponents decided to deploy their flexible veteran Laimer with the special assignment of a left back to use to his intensity and athleticism to shut down the talismanic figure of La Roja in individual battles.

Given Porro’s preference to use his ball striking to offer deliveries from deep areas of the field, Yamal then found himself doubled and tripled up in many situations. He has not been at his incisive best since his return from a hamstring injury, and the commitment from Austria to stifle him was clear.

19^th minute: defensive transition from Austria. Alaba tried to punch a pass through the lines, but Pedri picked off the ball. Wanner immediately recognized the higher positioning of Laimer, sprinting to cover his teammate. Seiwald steered Oyarzabal away from the left side, where Olmo and Baena broke forwards on the counterattack, and Wanner was able to tackle Yamal as he got into the penalty area.

After the hydration break, Spain went through the gears. Yamal was the instigator, shuffling around Schlager and Sabitzer to feed Pedri between the lines. His teammate threaded a through ball beyond Seiwald to release Olmo in the box, and a last-ditch tackle from Stefan Posch was required to stop the attacker from cashing in on nutmegging Alaba. Yamal then took the subsequent corner, and Cucurella crashed the ball into the net, but the referee disallowed the strike for a foul on Alexander Schlager.

Spain search for other avenues

Yamal and Oyarzabal forced fine saves out of Schlager before the shot stopper was eventually beaten with a well-worked effort from the left flank. Pedri probed through the midfield, and the Austrian block collapsed to allow Cucurella to charge forward freely on the outside. The fullback drilled a cutback into the danger zone, and Oyarzabal smartly swiveled to tuck the ball into the back of the net.

The first half hour of action had also shown another important element of Spain’s approach. While Baena and Cucurella engaged in exchanges from the left side, they were also supported by the running of Oyarzabal down the channel. Though the individual quality from these attackers could not compare to Yamal, his gravity afforded them room that the Austrian defense could not reorganize to manage.

41^st minute: offensive sequence from Spain. Rodri and Pedri positioned themselves around Wanner and Gregoritsch, so Schmid loitered forwards while Schlager stepped out as Sabitzer covered outside him. From a more central position, Baena broke forwards off the shoulder of Oyarzabal, Seiwald shifted to track him, and Olmo was available for the switch of play towards Cucurella on the left.

Another left-sided intervention indicated the path towards a second strike for the Spaniards in the 66^th minute. Cucurella came forwards on the underlap, and Olmo peeled onto the inside shoulder of Wanner, inviting Baena to break the lines with an infield pass. Though Olmo’s shot was smothered, the deflection dropped for Cucurella, and the fullback funneled the ball outwards to Baena. This time, Porro punched the penalty area as the recipient of a cross, converting the chance with his head.

Takeaways

Spain still seem to be a little short of the best version of their selves, but their work was more than enough to earn a confident and comfortable victory in the Round of 32. There is more time to see the best from their teenage prodigy, and it was a valuable outcome to see Oyarzabal step up to scoring responsibilities upfront. The side have now set up a reunion with Iberian neighbors Portugal, who won the Nations League final in 2025, and they could take a symbolic step on the way towards the title.

Austria could not cause an upset, and Rangnick reflected candidly about the quality of the opposition, feeling that he might have witnessed the to-be World Cup champions in this encounter. Unfortunately, age is not on the side of Das Team, whose established figures are now mostly into their thirties. Indeed, the side did not have the same optimism that surrounded their contributions to EURO 2024, and they are one of several nations that must take time to regenerate over the coming years.

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