Jesús Navas saves Spain in style

Spain 1-0 South Korea
Vicente del Bosque's European champions were made to work hard for victory in a pre-FIFA World Cup friendly in Innsbruck, Jesús Navas scoring the only goal in spectacular fashion three minutes from time.

Del Bosque rung the changes from the side that had also left it late to beat Saudi Arabia 3-2 at the weekend and again watched on as his team struggled to take charge of the game. It mattered not, though, for Jesús Navas rifled into the top corner from 25 metres out to register his first international goal and secure a morale-boosting win for Spain.

It was Huh Jung-Moo's side, however, who went closest in the early stages, Kim Jung-Woo chancing his arm with a shot that went narrowly wide of Pepe Reina's goal on 13 minutes. Arsenal FC midfielder Cesc Fábregas went even nearer to breaking the deadlock ten minutes from half-time but saw his strike denied by the frame of Kim Young-Kwan's goal.

Del Bosque brought on the likes of David Villa, Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernández, as well as debutant Víctor Valdés, and the FC Barcelona keeper should have been breached with eight minutes remaining but Lee Jung-Soo sent his header wide.

That allowed Sevilla FC's Jesús Navas, on his fifth international appearance, to strike the decisive blow, firing in a sensational long-range shot to give La Roja another narrow warm-up win. Del Bosque's side open their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on 16 June before further Group H fixtures against Honduras and Chile.