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Friendlies: Macedonia put dent into Ecuador preparations
MADRID, May 28 (SW) - Ecuador's winless run was extended to four matches on Sunday as the World Cup finalists were beaten 2-1 by Macedonia in a friendly match in Madrid.
Striker Carlos Tenorio got Luis Suárez's men off to a fine start in the 18th minute as he got by two Macedonia defenders before hitting a great shot past goalkeeper Jane Nikolovski, but the Macedonians came back with an answer 10 minutes later.
Despite the apparent control Ecuador had on the match, Goran Maznov equalized in the 28th minute after goalkeeper Edwin Villafuerte parried a shot by Artim Sakiri.
The second half brought a double blow to Ecuador when goalscorer Tenorio was forced off with a leg injury just after the hour mark, and veteran defender Iván Hurtado - making his 130th international appearance - conceded a penalty when he brought down Ace Stoikov.
Igor Mitreski stepped up in the 73rd minute and beat Villafuerte to give Srecko Katanec's side a 2-1 lead, and they held onto the win thanks to some fine late goalkeeping by Nikolovski.
This was Ecuador's final game before the World Cup, which begins for them on 9 June against Poland.
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