Spain Crushes Austria 3-0 as Yamal, 18, Declares He Is 100% Fit
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jul 2
Spain Crushes Austria 3-0 as Yamal, 18, Declares He Is 100% Fit
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 2
Summary
Lamine Yamal, named MVP after Spain's 3-0 round-of-32 win over Austria, said he is now "100%" fit after playing 85 minutes—his longest World Cup outing since returning from injury.
Six shots, four on target, two chances created and five recoveries underlined Yamal's impact as Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and Pedro Porro added Spain's other goal at SoFi Stadium.
Luis de la Fuente called Spain's display their best yet but said the European champions still have room to improve after an uneven group stage.
Ralf Rangnick said Spain made virtually no unforced errors and predicted they could win the World Cup, while also calling Yamal one of the biggest talents of his age.
Spain, through to the last 16 with their first World Cup knockout win since 2010, will face Portugal or Croatia in Dallas on Monday.