David Villa hit a spectacular volley to earn Spain a 1-0 win over world champions Italy in a friendly in Elche.

The Valencia striker, who replaced Fernando Torres at half time, fired the ball into the top corner past a helpless Gianluigi Buffon 13 minutes from time after Fabio Cannavaro had headed the ball clear of his area.

Spain enjoyed the lion's share of possession but carried little threat in attack until Villa's stunning strike.

The victory extended Spain's unbeaten streak to 14 matches. It was Italy's first defeat since losing 3-1 to Hungary in a friendly in August.

"We had very good chances. We didn't deserve to lose and they scored a really great goal," Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said.

Reuters