Spain's Most Dominant World Cup Win Since USA '94

Spain's dominant 3-0 victory over Austria marks their most convincing World Cup win since USA '94.

Back then, 'La Furia Roja' secured a 3-0 win in the Round of 16 against Switzerland, only to be eliminated in the next stage, falling 2-1 to Italy. At the subsequent World Cup, the Spaniards exited in the group stage despite a resounding 6-1 thrashing of Bulgaria. In 2002, they advanced past the Round of 16 after a penalty shootout against Ireland, but were immediately knocked out in the same fashion by co-hosts South Korea. At the 2006 World Cup, the Iberians once again navigated their group, but lost 3-1 to France in the Round of 16.

In 2010, Spain achieved a historic triumph, securing their first World Cup title with four consecutive 1-0 victories, the last of which came after extra time, against Portugal, Paraguay, Germany, and the Netherlands. However, their title defense in the 2014 World Cup ended in failure, as they were eliminated in the group stage. At the next tournament, they were knocked out after a penalty shootout against hosts Russia in the Round of 16, and suffered the same fate at the Qatar World Cup, again at the start of the knockout rounds. Now, however, the Spaniards have finally recorded a decisive knockout stage victory that wasn't a narrow 1-0 win or decided by penalties.