Spain continued their impressive World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Austria in the Round of 32, silencing doubters who questioned their title credentials.
La Roja made relatively light work of Ralf Rangnick’s side, with manager Luis de la Fuente keen to push his squad toward further improvement despite the comfortable result.
Goalkeeper Unai Simon produced another clean sheet, his fourth of the tournament, setting a new record of 520 consecutive minutes without conceding at a World Cup.
Simon surpassed Italy legend Walter Zenga’s record from the 1990 tournament, a milestone that clearly moved the Spain manager in his post-match comments.
“I have many reasons to be happy today. The victory is hugely important. The win was sensational. I am especially happy for Unai, because I’ve known him since he was a kid, and his record is a reward,” de la Fuente told Diario AS.
Despite the celebration, de la Fuente was measured in his praise, insisting the team had not yet reached its potential and had more levels to unlock going forward.
“Our mindset is to keep improving, with the view that this team hasn’t reached its ceiling yet. We are ambitious, insatiable in sporting terms,” he added.
Austria manager Rangnick suggested after the final whistle that his side may have been eliminated by the eventual tournament winners, noting they did not commit a single error during the contest.
De la Fuente pointed specifically toward Spain’s defensive work as an area requiring attention, despite the clean sheet, noting issues with their high press in the early stages of the match.
“We need to improve in defensive areas. We needed to fine-tune our high press a bit more, at least until the first break. We’ve made some corrections, but the goal is always to keep improving,” the manager explained.
He also highlighted that Spain’s next opponent would present an even tougher challenge, requiring his side to redouble their efforts and sharpen their overall efficiency rate significantly.
Rodri Hernandez has faced scrutiny during the tournament despite playing every minute for La Roja, but de la Fuente was emphatic in his defence of the midfielder’s contribution.
“For me, Rodrigo is having an exceptional World Cup. He has pressed, made runs into the box, and taken shots. And Pedri has put on another masterclass,” de la Fuente said.
The manager appears to have settled on a starting midfield arrangement with Dani Olmo ahead of Pedri and Rodri, while Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena operated out wide on the flanks.
That setup saw both Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz drop out of the starting eleven, suggesting de la Fuente has found a combination he trusts as the knockout rounds intensify.
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