Spain produced its best performance of the World Cup so far and cruised into the round of 16 by beating a disappointing Austria 3–0 on Thursday.
Ralf Rangnick, whose empowerment of the national team when he took over proved key in its rejuvenation, relentlessly made note of Austria’s inferiority before the game, and the Central Europeans performed in the absence of the identity that helped facilitate its drastic improvement.
