Mikel Oyarzabal is not a name that sends shivers down the spine of casual football fans. He is not Lamine Yamal. He is not Pedri. He is not even Alvaro Morata. What he is, is the most efficient goalscorer at this World Cup.
Two goals against Austria. Four goals in the tournament. The first Spanish player to score four at a World Cup since David Villa in 2010 — the year Spain won it all. The first Spanish player to score two braces in a single World Cup. Seventeen goals in his last 17 international appearances.
The first goal was a poacher’s finish: Cucurella’s cross, Oyarzabal’s run, a simple tap-in that looked easy because he made it look easy. The third goal was a striker’s finish: another Cucurella delivery, a composed touch, a clinical strike. Two goals, two different types of finish, one message: this man is in the form of his life.
The Boy Who Loses the Ball 17 Times and Wins Player of the Match
Lamine Yamal was named Player of the Match. This was, to put it mildly, a controversial decision.
The 16-year-old had six shots and four on target — both match-highs. He completed five dribbles — also a match-high. He hit the post. He terrified Austria’s defenders every time he touched the ball.
He also lost possession 17 times. Seventeen. That is not a typo. He gave the ball away more than anyone else on the pitch. He missed a clear chance. He made decisions that made the Spanish bench wince.
And yet, when the match ended, the award was his. Why? Because Yamal is not a player you measure by efficiency. He is a player you measure by chaos. Every time he gets the ball, something happens. It might be brilliant. It might be disastrous. But it is never boring. And against a team like Austria, who wanted to impose order through pressing, chaos was exactly what Spain needed.
The Wall
Spain have now played four matches at this World Cup. They have conceded zero goals. Zero. Not a penalty. Not a deflection. Not a moment of defensive madness. Nothing.
Rodri is the reason. He plays in midfield, but he is Spain’s best defender. He reads danger before it materialises. He intercepts passes before they become threats. He shields the back four with the calm authority of a man who knows exactly where every Austrian player is going to be three seconds before they get there.
Behind him, Pau Cubarsi — 18 years old — plays like he has been doing this for a decade. Aymeric Laporte provides the experience. Unai Simon provides the record-breaking. Together, they have built a fortress that no team has come close to breaching.
Austria’s 44-Year Dream, Crushed in 90 Minutes
Let us not forget what Austria achieved to get here. They had not played a World Cup knockout match since 1982. They survived a group stage that included Argentina and Lionel Messi. They scored a 96th-minute equaliser against Algeria that felt like a victory in itself.
They came to Los Angeles with a plan: press high, disrupt Spain’s rhythm, turn the match into a battle. For 25 minutes, it worked. Then Spain figured it out. Rodri and Pedri started playing one-touch football. Austria’s press became a trap that trapped nobody. The energy drained. The hope drained. The match became a training exercise.
Marko Arnautovic, 37, was a ghost. Marcel Sabitzer’s runs were tracked and neutralised. Konrad Laimer chased shadows. Austria’s five shots all missed the target. Their expected goals total of 0.32 was not a statistic — it was a confession.
The Iberian Derby Awaits
Spain vs Portugal. Round of 16. Dallas.
The two giants of Iberian football, meeting in a World Cup knockout match for the first time. Spain, unbeaten in 34 matches, with the best defence in the tournament. Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who just scored his first World Cup knockout goal at the age of 41.
The last time they met at a World Cup, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and Portugal drew 3-3 with Spain in one of the greatest group-stage matches ever played. That was eight years ago. Ronaldo is still here. Spain are still here. The stakes have never been higher.
One of them is going home. The other is going to the quarter-finals. And after what Spain did to Austria, the question is not whether they can beat Portugal. The question is whether anyone can score against them.
