MUNDIAL·26

Round of 32 · Thursday, July 2 · Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles · 70,492 in the stands

kickoff 12:00 local · 21°C · 73% humidity · roofed stadium

Spain

36′ Mikel OYARZABAL (pen)

66′ Pedro PORRO (pen)

89′ Mikel OYARZABAL (pen)

3:0

Austria

tap a player for their match file

Spain4-2-3-1
Austria4-2-3-1
Unai SIMON7.1Pedro PORRO9.1Aymeric LAPORTE7.4Pau CUBARSI7.4Marc CUCURELLA8.6Alex BAENA8.5RODRI7.3PEDRI6.8Dani OLMO7.0Lamine YAMAL7.2Mikel OYARZABAL8.8Alexander SCHLAGER6.8Kevin DANSO6.6Stefan POSCH5.9David ALABA6.0Xaver SCHLAGER6.6Nicolas SEIWALD6.6Marcel SABITZER6.7Romano SCHMID6.7Konrad LAIMER5.6Paul WANNER6.6Michael GREGORITSCH5.5
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′ESPAUT

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 36′Oyarzabal0.18 xG
  • 66′Porro0.53 xG
  • 89′Oyarzabal0.58 xG
ESP 0:0 AUT0'kickoff
2' Yamal — xG 0.07 · Saved8' Olmo — xG 0.07 · Blocked8' Laporte — xG 0.19 · Missed32' Yamal — xG 0.01 · Missed33' Oyarzabal — xG 0.06 · Saved35' Alaba — xG 0.02 · Missed36' Oyarzabal — xG 0.18 · Goal38' Yamal — xG 0.05 · Saved39' Oyarzabal — xG 0.14 · Blocked42' Laporte — xG 0.01 · Missed45' Seiwald — xG 0.04 · Blocked45 + 2' Baena — xG 0.03 · Saved45 + 2' Yamal — xG 0.26 · Saved49' Oyarzabal — xG 0.06 · Saved52' Oyarzabal — xG 0.06 · Missed54' Rodri — xG 0.02 · Blocked58' Baena — xG 0.02 · Blocked59' Yamal — xG 0.04 · Blocked61' Kalajdzic — xG 0.12 · Missed62' Olmo — xG 0.06 · Blocked66' Olmo — xG 0.02 · Blocked66' Porro — xG 0.53 · Goal78' Torres — xG 0.02 · Missed79' Chukwuemeka — xG 0.06 · Missed82' Posch — xG 0.06 · Missed85' Yamal — xG 0.29 · Blocked89' Oyarzabal — xG 0.58 · Goal90 + 5' Torres — xG 0.04 · Missed

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

ESP 0:0 AUT
1.02.03.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′36' Oyarzabal — GOAL66' Porro — GOAL89' Oyarzabal — GOAL2.810.30

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

ESP 4-2-3-1 attack →, ← AUT 4-2-3-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

23Unai SIMONUnai SIMON12Pedro PORROPedro PORRO14Aymeric LAPORTEAymeric LAPORTE22Pau CUBARSIPau CUBARSI24Marc CUCURELLAMarc CUCURELLA15Alex BAENAAlex BAENA16RODRIRODRI20PEDRIPEDRI10Dani OLMODani OLMO19Lamine YAMALLamine YAMAL21Mikel OYARZABALMikel OYARZABAL1Alexander SCHLAGERAlexander SCHLAGER3Kevin DANSOKevin DANSO5Stefan POSCHStefan POSCH8David ALABADavid ALABA4Xaver SCHLAGERXaver SCHLAGER6Nicolas SEIWALDNicolas SEIWALD9Marcel SABITZERMarcel SABITZER18Romano SCHMIDRomano SCHMID20Konrad LAIMERKonrad LAIMER24Paul WANNERPaul WANNER11Michael GREGORITSCHMichael GREGORITSCH

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

59%
Possession
33%
2.25
Expected goals
0.25
68
Threat
32
23
Shots
5
10
On target
0
589
Passes completed
291
51
Forced turnovers
41
12.1s
Ball recovery time
20.8s
9.38
High-press phases
5.69
15
Fouls committed
7
2
Offsides
5
112 km
Distance covered
110 km
32.8 km/h
Top speed
34.0 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Spain attack →, ← Austria attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 36′Mikel OYARZABAL (Spain) scores!!
  2. ′Before the second half begins Florian GRILLITSCH (in) comes off the bench to replace Xaver SCHLAGER (out) (Austria)
  3. ′Before the second half begins Carney CHUKWUEMEKA (in) comes off the bench to replace Nicolas SEIWALD (out) (Austria)
  4. 60′Marko ARNAUTOVIC (in) comes off the bench to replace Michael GREGORITSCH (out) (Austria)
  5. 60′Sasa KALAJDZIC (in) comes off the bench to replace Romano SCHMID (out) (Austria)
  6. 66′Pedro PORRO (Spain) scores!!
  7. 71′Ferran TORRES (in) comes off the bench to replace Alex BAENA (out) (Spain)
  8. 71′Mikel MERINO (in) comes off the bench to replace Dani OLMO (out) (Spain)
  9. 83′Stefan POSCH (Austria) is booked by the referee.
  10. 85′GAVI (in) comes off the bench to replace Lamine YAMAL (out) (Spain)
  11. 85′Alexander PRASS (in) comes off the bench to replace Stefan POSCH (out) (Austria)
  12. 89′Mikel OYARZABAL (Spain) scores!!
  13. 90+3′Marc PUBILL (in) comes off the bench to replace Aymeric LAPORTE (out) (Spain)
  14. 90+3′Fabian RUIZ (in) comes off the bench to replace PEDRI (out) (Spain)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Spain's Press Suffocates Austria from Start to Finish

Spain controlled this from the opening whistle, establishing a smothering possession game (59%) that left Austria chasing shadows. The early stages saw the Austrians pressed into submission, unable to build from the back as Spain's forwards harried them into endless turnovers. The breakthrough came at 36 minutes—almost inevitable—and from that point the match was merely a procession. Spain's fullbacks Porro and Cucurella operated like additional midfielders, stretching the Austrians further.

The numbers tell a brutal story. Spain's ball recovery averaged 12.1 seconds against Austria's laboured 20.8, a gap that reflects the gulf in midfield control. Oyarzabal (8.8) thrived in the chaos, as Spain's press phases multiplied (9.4 to 5.7). Austria never troubled the Spanish goal—zero shots on target, an xG of just 0.25—while Spain manufactured 23 attempts from an xG of 2.25, converting three by the 89th minute. The second goal at 66 minutes essentially closed proceedings.

Spain recovered possession every 12.1 seconds; Austria required 20.8—a nine-second chasm that left their midfield suffocated and leaderless.

66′

Spain's second goal rendered Austria's task impossible; the class gulf was now absolute.

What Spain needed

Press dominance and ruthless conversion overcame an overwhelmed opponent.

  • Ball recovery 12.1s versus Austria's 20.8s created an eight-second gulf; the differential won the midfield war.
  • Nine high-press phases forced 51 turnovers; relentless pressing denied Austria any build-up platform.
  • 23 shots (2.25 xG) converted three times; shot volume and clinical finishing secured a routine victory.

What Austria needed

Helpless against Spain's press; no answer in midfield or attack.

  • Ball recovery 20.8s (Spain's 12.1s) meant Austria couldn't escape the press; build-up football was impossible.
  • Zero shots on target and xG 0.25 shows complete attacking void; Schmid and Sabitzer were isolated and ineffective.
  • Only 5.7 high-press phases versus Spain's 9.4 meant Austria defended for 90 minutes; control never materialised.