Spain Into Quarterfinals as Oyarzabal Delivers Again

Spain are through to the World Cup quarterfinals after a comfortable win over Austria, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice and Lamine Yamal once again showing why he is one of football's biggest young stars.

Before the match, according to El Larguero, Yamal made it clear that pressure does not bother him.

"I like to be under pressure," the 18-year-old said. He added that expectations are normal when people believe you can change a game.

Yamal also made headlines before kick-off with a bold message about Spain's rivals.

According to El Larguero, the Barcelona winger said France cannot be considered better than Spain because they have not beaten La Roja in the last two years. He also said that, in his opinion, no national team is above Spain right now.

Spain quickly backed up those words on the pitch.

Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the first half with his third goal of the tournament. Pedro Porro then doubled Spain's lead with a powerful header to put the match beyond Austria.

Yamal did not score, but he was one of Spain's best players. According to match statistics, the teenager nutmegged Konrad Laimer three times in the opening 34 minutes and caused problems every time he had the ball.

Oyarzabal was the star of the night. He finished the game with two goals and continued his outstanding World Cup campaign. According to tournament statistics, the Spain forward now has 13 goals and five assists in 12 matches this season for his country.

Spain's victory also keeps alive their dream of winning another World Cup.

Yamal's confident comments before the game may divide opinion, but Spain are giving their critics very little to say. When a team keeps winning, confidence quickly starts to look like belief.

The challenge now becomes even bigger. Spain are into the quarterfinals, and after another dominant performance, they are looking more and more like genuine contenders for the World Cup trophy.