Round of 32: Spain 3 (Oyarzabal 36, 89, Porro 66) Austria 0The hex is broken. The European champions ended a benighted decade of World Cup summers by dispatching Austria in the hot sunshine of Los Angeles on Thursday, marking their first knockout win since their fabled generation won the entire thing back in 2010. They will head south, to Dallas, to play the winners of Portugal and Croatia on Monday night. Their unbeaten record now extends to 34 games and even though they were occasionally vulnerable to the aerial threat of defender Stefan Posch, they announced their intention to remain in America for the long haul.Spain came into this knockout game with the rest of the world - and future opponents – keen to learn which version would reveal themselves. Tournament favourites, yes, reigning champions of the continent and behind only Argentina and France in the rankings, but nonetheless carrying the physic weight of having failed to win a single World Cup knockout match since Iker Casillas lifted the trophy 16 years ago.The novel thrill of Cape Verde’s magnificent 0-0 draw was a further signal that the Spaniards might be fallible here. And 18 minutes into this game, the sight of the airborne Micheal Gregoritsch coming within millimetres of a devilish in-swinswingings gave an immediate signal to the swathes of Spanish shirts in Inglewood that it might yet be a hot, gruelling day in Los Angeles.Lamine Yamal was just 16 when he first played in the stadium, when Arsenal met Barcelona in a summer game. Los Angeles, with its history of prodigious talent and creative flamboyance, felt like the perfect venue and city for the Spanish teenager to perform under an extraordinary weight of expectation. While Lionel Messi, at 39, has been romping across the United States having the time of his life and France are glinting like blades, Yamal took just 10 minutes to find the net in Spain’s opening game against Saudi Arabia, to become his country’s second youngest World Cup goalscorer.Spain's forward Lamine Yamal controls the ball against Austria. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/ AFP via Getty On the eve of the tournament, Sixty Minutes, the venerable CBS current affairs show, aired an in-depth profile of Yamal, visiting his family in Rocafonda, north of Barcelona and presenting, for American audiences, the Barca winger as the arriving sensation of world football: “As we first told you in November, Lamine Yamal is not yet licensed to drive; not yet liberated from wearing braces. Already though, the world, like the ball he dribbles is at his feet.”Nuances become lost in translation but although Yamal delivered his answers in Spanish, he sounded like an American sports prodigy as he dwelt on the realities of trying to balance adolescence with his generational talent.“He’s a skitterbug, and its like watching a dragonfly,” Ray Hudson, the former Newcastle player, now an established commentator in the US said. “You have to ignore him which is ridiculous because once Yamal sends you the wrong way with that wonderful feint he has the defender has to pay to get back into the stadium. Beautiful. Intoxicating to watch.”As this match warmed up, the same flattery applied to the Spaniards in general. Yamal haunted the Austrians along the right wing, and drew delighted howls from the crowd by nutmegging Laimer in the 21st minute. By then, Spain were moving towards a flow state after a frantic opening quarter-hour.Olmo might have been rewarded for a sublime turn to lose Danso but was thwarted by a fabulous, last-ditch tackle by Posch. Marc Cucurella smashed home a goal from a goalmouth scramble which was cancelled for a foul on Austria’s goalkeeper, Alex Schlager. A minute later, the goal arrived: a low fizzing cross from Cucurella, on the left and Oyarzabal, perched on the Austrian penalty spot, redirected the ball with an exquisite, clean first-time shot.Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates scoring with Gavi and Marc Cucurella. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty The Sofi stadium was giddy now, keen for lunchtime theatre from the aristocrats. Within 60 seconds of the goal, Yamal was racing on to a long delivery: his casual chip beat Schlager but not the crossbar - and he was offside. Alex Baena, who scored Spain’s lone, crucial goal against Uruguay and again playing on the left wing as Nico Williams attempts to overcome his latest injury setback, hit the crossbar as the first half elapsed. Yamal drew a brave save out of Schlager on the rebound. 1-0 down was not the worst scenario Austria could have found themselves discussing at half time.Austria understood the assignment: battle through Spain’s mesmerising passing game and bide their time. They had chances - Kalajdzic, just on the field after 60 minutes, got a head to a Sabitzer cross but couldn’t keep the ball the right side of Spain’s crossbar. It was a half-chance, but one that Austria desperately needed.Five minutes later, Spain delivered on their superiority. Although Yamal had begun to distress the Spanish with his swerving attacks on the right wing, the killer pass was delivered on the opposite wing. Cucurella was perfectly placed to help a broken pass by Olmo on for Baena and his cross for the arriving Pedro Porro to thump a meaty header into the net for his first international goal.Sixty-six minutes gone and a perfect situation was now unfolding for Luis de la Fuente, with Baena’s accomplished hour easing the national concern over the availability of Williams through the elite phases of the tournament. The closing phase was a vivid contrast of Austrian frustration and a euphoric response from the LA crowd as the Spaniards began to play the pass the ball around the pitch for fun.Oyarzabal added the gloss with a minute remaining, unlocking Austria with three clean touches: a gorgeous curled passed from Cucurella played Oyarzabal through and he made child’s play of the finish. It was cruel on Austria but not unjust.Spain: Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Olmo (Torres 70); Yamal (Gavi 86), Oyarzabal, Baena (Merino 70).Austria: A Schlager; Posch, Danso, Alaba, Laimer; Seiwald (Chukwuemeka 45), X Schlager (Grillitsh 45), Schmid, Wanner, Schmid (Kalajdzic); Gregoritsch (AnatoArnatouvicReferee Glenn Nyberg (Sweden).World Cup Wallchart