Luis de La Fuente said Spain played an “almost perfect” match as they beat Austria 3-0 in the World Cup Round of 32.
After some fairly routine performances in the group stage, Spain produced their best performance of the tournament at the start of the knockout stage to sweep their fellow European opponents aside to remind everyone why they are one of the key contenders at this World Cup.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, either side of a Pedro Porro header in a performance which saw the Euro 2024 have 22 shots and have 65% possession – and De La Fuente was delighted to see his team turn up at a crucial stage of the tournament.
The Spain boss told RTVE: “The big teams turn up when their presence is needed … I think today we’ve seen a great game.
“I’m happy because in all aspects we’ve been almost perfect – but we have to keep improving. Every match now is going to be very difficult.
“In the last 16, the opponents are now even more demanding … You can always improve and on top of that, it’s what this team demands.
“These players always want more and more. [Oyarzabal] showed the footballing potential he has – and the rest of his team-mates exactly the same. They played an extraordinary match.”
Spain seem to be getting better as they go at this tournament, with this display a huge improvement on the one which drew 0-0 to Cape Verde in their opener, and De La Fuente urged his side to keep making sure that trend continues as they reach the latter stages.
He added: “We knew it would be an important match, especially in this knockout stage. We had the previous games in mind and, in every aspect, we were almost perfect.
“But there are still a few little things to improve. We can always do better. Every match is going to be more difficult than the last. We need to keep this mentality.”
Oyarzabal: ‘Whether it’s Portugal or Croatia… bring it on’
Aside from perhaps Lamine Yamal who impressed throughout, double goalscorer Oyarzabal grabbed plenty of the headlines with two confident finishes to take his recent Spain record to 17 goals in 16 starts for his country.
The Real Sociedad man said: “I am happy because I got to help my team. We made it through to the next game and now we need to rest. A pretty complicated match, we knew it would be difficult.
“They were quite a physical team. It was a great day, a great match and we are happy.
“I believe some of the matches have been good, others perhaps not that good but we are going to keep on going.
“Croatia or Portugal [in the quarter-finals]? I don’t know. I have a friend in each team, so bring them on.”
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