Spanish World Cup winner David Villa rescued a point for Melbourne City with a slick goal on his Australian A-League debut to grab a 1-1 draw with Sydney FC yesterday.

Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer scored a superb volley 15 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in his first outing in a 10-game loan from New York City.

Villa, 32, was the first major signing announced by Melbourne since they were bought by English Premier League giants Manchester City earlier this year.

Sydney FC had gone ahead in the 54th minute through Corey Gameiro but Villa equalised for Melbourne City nine minutes later. Damien Duff also caught the eye in his first A-League game on the right wing and was impressed with the playing standard.

“I think we deserved more out of the game tonight. I’ve been playing at a fast pace for 20 years so it’s tough, but I enjoyed every minute of it.” Duff said.