Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente praised Mikel Oyarzabal's performance after he starred in La Furia Roja's victory over Austria in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
According to him, the Real Sociedad striker managed to show his best qualities when he led Spain to a landslide 3-0 victory.
Oyarzabal scored twice in the victory at Los Angeles Stadium, United States, on Friday, WIB. Pedro Porro also scored a goal to secure Spain's place in the round of 16.
"Oyarzabal showed the quality of his football. So did his teammates. They played an extraordinary match," said De la Fuente, as reported on the FIFA website.
De la Fuente also assessed his team's performance as nearly perfect against Austria, but stressed that Spain must not be complacent as the challenges will be even tougher in the next knockout phase.
"I think we played a great match today. I'm happy because we performed almost perfectly in every aspect, but we have to keep improving," said De la Fuente.
The 65-year-old coach warned that each match after this one would be increasingly difficult. Spain will face the winner of the Portugal-Croatia match in the round of 16.
"Every match now will be very difficult. In the round of 16, the opponents we face will certainly be of a higher quality," he said.
Although satisfied with his team's performance, De la Fuente emphasized that there is still room for improvement. He said the Spanish squad has a mentality that is always looking to improve.
"There's always room for improvement. That's the demand of this team. The players always want more and more," he said.
