UPDATE 2-Soccer-Villa scores stunning winner as Spain beat Italy

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ELCHE, Spain, March 26 (Reuters) - David Villa's spectacular volley earned Spain a 1-0 win over world champions Italy in a friendly on Wednesday.

The Valencia striker, who replaced Fernando Torres at halftime, fired the ball 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 it was Italy who created the better chances.

"I always try to score when I hit it but this one was perfect and went straight in the (top) corner," Villa told Spanish television. "It was a great goal and was the icing on the cake for a match we deserved to win."

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," Italy coach Roberto Donadoni told Rai television.

Luis Aragones's side settled quickly into their usual short-passing game at the Martinez Valero stadium without posing much threat in the first half hour.