Villa pounced in the 63rd minute of an absorbing encounter that saw plenty of chances and Portugal’s Ricardo Costa sent off, chipping a rebound over goalkeeper Eduardo after his first shot was saved.
It was enough to put Spain into a last eight showdown on Saturday against the South Americans, who crushed Japanese hopes in a dramatic 5-3 penalty shoot-out earlier in the day.
Whoever gets through that match has either Argentina or Germany awaiting them in the semi-finals.
In a stadium packed to the rafters with Spanish and Portuguese fans, Spain quickly signalled their intentions with Fernando Torres testing Eduardo with a shot from the edge of the box in the opening minute.
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
David Villa Spain
