NEWS » unded by Jones comments calling the quarte

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Olympics ended with a game worthy of the surroundings.And in a tournament in which every team showed its imperfections, there was a worthy winner in Germany, which defeated Sweden 2-1 for its first gold medal in womens soccer.All of which made for a fitting send-off for one of the sports most successful coaches.In front of a crowd of 70,000, the game provided all the twists, turns and skill associated with the iconic Maracana. A scoreless first half featured chances for both teams, but it wasnt until Dzsenifer Marozsans goal in the opening minutes of the second half that Germany did what neither the United States nor Brazil could manage in preceding games: force Sweden to play from behind.Germany then doubled its lead on a Swedish own goal, but Sweden quickly cut the deficit to a single goal to set up a tense finish over the remaining quarter of the game, right down to a scramble for the ball yards from the German goal in stoppage time.In the final game of coach Silvia Neids tenure, Germany joined the United States and Norway as the only countries to win both Olympic gold and World Cup titles in womens soccer.More to come after the medals are awarded, but here are some thoughts at the final whistle.1. Healthy Marozsan makes a differenceAn injured Marozsan was far less than 100 percent when Germany and the United States met in a World Cup semifinal a year ago. And the day before the gold-medal game, German coach Silvia Neid suggested Marozsan was the only potential health concern for her team.Well, Marozsan started this final and looked no worse for wear in the first half, as Germany slowly built offensive momentum. And she looked simply world class when a deflected cross fell to her feet in the 48th minute. A few yards outside the 18-yard box and unmarked, Marozsan took her time, picked her spot and curled a beautiful shot past the diving goalkeeper.Time and again, the United States and Brazil hammered away at the Swedish goal in this tournament, but barely any of the shots from a bevy of talented players actually went on frame. Maroszan made the most of her first opportunity. Then her free kick from 20 yards in the 61st minute caromed hard off the post and into Swedens Linda Sembrant, who scored an own goal on a failed clearance.Put it on frame and good things happen. Have a healthy Marozsan and good things happen.2. Sweden played for the goldIt took less than a minute for Sweden to earn a free kick near the German goal. The Swedes accumulated six first-half corner kicks. At times they had all 10 field players in the German end without the added enticement of a set piece. Really, they did. They even had an edge in possession through the first 45 minutes. All right, Sweden wasnt trying to pull off a Scandinavian ode to Barcelona. They played their way, which meant two organized and tightly synced lines of four on defense and a lot of long balls over the top. But they played.All the hubbub about Swedens defensive tactics in penalty-shootout wins against the United States and Brazil seemed forced anyway. And Swedens supposedly dire soccer didnt stop 70,000 people from showing up to watch them play for the gold medal. But Sweden played to win -- or lose -- the gold medal for 90 minutes Friday night.The Swedes almost paid for it on a couple of occasions in the first half, and it cost them when the back line found itself stretched on Marozsans opening goal and the sequence that led to the own goal. But it also gave them a chance to threaten Germanys goal -- an Olivia Schough misfire on a Lotta Schelin cross and Schelins missed shot on a counter were moments that will leave some Swedish fans to wonder what might have happened had their team scored first.3. Meanwhile, in Sao PauloA tournament that began so promisingly for the host ended in bitter disappointment. Brazil left without a medal of any kind after a 2-1 loss to Canada in the bronze-medal game played in Brazils largest city. By the time Brazils goalless drought ended late in the second half -- the team going without a goal for nearly seven consecutive hours of soccer during the tournament -- Canada already had a two-goal cushion. But if its a sad finish to what looked like a great Brazilian story, dont expect the Canadians to apologize for playing spoiler.Canada becomes the fifth country to medal in womens soccer in back-to-back Olympics, taking the sting out of its own mildly disappointing showing as host of last years World Cup. Although Christine Sinclair fittingly scored the eventual bronze-clincher against Brazil, Canadas feat is perhaps most impressive for how different the two medal-winning Canadian teams were.In the span of those years, coach John Herdman successfully set the table for the post-Sinclair era. Fridays starting lineup included current West Virginia standouts Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence. And they are all but old-timers compared to 18-year-old Jessie Fleming and 17-year-old Deanne Rose, who scored the opening goal in the game. Add in Janine Beckie, who didnt start Friday but had such a strong tournament, Rebecca Quinn, Nichelle Prince and others, and Canada can celebrate both another medal and what the future holds.Greg Maddux Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Andre Dawson Cubs Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-anthony-rizzo-jersey/ . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Ryne Sandberg Cubs Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Fergie Jenkins Cubs Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans.FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones wants everybody to know he believes in rookie quarterback Dak Prescott.Jones comments on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that a quarterback debate by those outside the organization was a legitimate discussion have been construed by some, including Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, as a dig at Prescott and a way to set the stage for Tony Romo to return to the field.The last thing Im worried about is the fragileness of our team, our coaches, our players, one of the real qualities of this team is that nobody is fragile, Jones said on Thursday. We completely support Dak as our starting quarterback unequivocally so thats that. And theres no issue there at all. Were very fortunate -- and Ive said that -- that we have depth there.And you certainly have got depth in a big way when you got Tony Romo sitting there and thats not trying to be cute. Its absolutely in our best interest that Dak, who is absolutely playing at a level for a rookie that has probably never been seen, and we want him to be able to use that and some degree of that to help us go all the waay to the Super Bowl.ddddddddddddarlier Thursday Aikman said on KTCK 1310 AM The Ticket in Dallas he was dumbfounded by Jones comments calling the quarterback debate a legitimate discussion. Aikman said, Im not sure that Tony, if it was left up to the owner, wouldnt be the starter now, just based on the comments that Ive heard in the last couple weeks.Jones said he appreciated Aikmans comments.He might have had sensitivity but Dak doesnt, Jones said. Im serious. I dont mean that negatively. I appreciate him saying it. I respect him. But Dak Prescotts No. 1 quality is that he doesnt get distracted.On Monday, Jason Garrett said the decision can be as complex or as simple as the Cowboys want, but they are going with Prescott. Even with his open-ended comments on Tuesday, Jones agreed.What we are saying here is he is our quarterback, Jones said Thursday. And we are proud of him and want him to continue to do something that no quarterback has ever done. And thats have the success he is having. ' ' '