he is unmoved by Bellews talk of a brutal knockout prediction.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The roaring crowd at the Maracana Stadium desperately wanted Lisa Dahlkvist to miss.It didnt bother her at all.Dahlkvist just pretended all those Brazilians were cheering for Sweden, and then she stepped up and buried her penalty kick to eliminate the host country and send the Swedes to the Olympic soccer final.The noise was for me, to get the ball in the goal. Simple answer, Dahlkvist said, laughing while describing how she tuned out the din at the nearly full stadium.Sweden advanced to the gold medal match in womens soccer for the first time by beating host Brazil 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw.And it was the second time Dahlkvist had come through under pressure on penalties: Her kick ousted the favored U.S. women in the quarterfinals.Brazil forward Marta, one of the biggest stars of the tournament, buried the first kick of the shootout. But at 3-3, Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl stopped Andressas shot before Dahlkvist beat Barbara to end it, stunning the packed home crowd.Sweden, which has never before played in the gold match at the Olympics, will face Germany for gold on Friday at the Maracana, the site of the mens World Cup final in 2014. The Germans defeated Canada 2-0 in the later match Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.Brazil will play for the bronze on Friday in Sao Paulo against Canada.Marta had one of Brazils best chances to put her team in the lead, but her free kick in the 115th minute bounced before the goal and Lindahl was able to snag it.The fans at the 78,000-seat Maracana -- the biggest crowd ever for a womens national team match in Brazil -- roared whenever Marta touched the ball. Brazils charismatic forward won FIFAs Womens World Player of the Year five consecutive years from 2006-10. But she has never won a major international tournament with her national team.One fan lofted a sign that said Marta We Love You.This loss wont take away from all that we have done to get here, Marta said. We have the match for the bronze medal now and we will fight until the end to get that medal. We have to pick up the pieces to try to win this medal.Both teams had their chances in the opening 90 minutes, and the intensity rose as the defensive-minded Swedes started going on the attack more.Sweden was riding high after knocking off the three-time defending champion United States in the quarterfinals. The loss sent the top-ranked Americans home without a medal for the first time since womens soccer joined the Olympics in 1996. The World Cup champions were vying for their fourth straight gold.Sweden deployed a defensive strategy against the United States and advanced 4-3 on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in Brasilia. Afterward, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo drew attention for calling Sweden a bunch of cowards for its style of play.Sweden coach Pia Sundhage used a similar tactic against Brazil, changing her approach after losing to Brazil 5-1 in group play. Marta and Beatriz scored two goals each in that first match.Sundhage said that Sweden did not use Solos comments as motivation against Brazil.What people are saying in the media, its not a big deal. Very often you say it, and I dont even really think you mean it, Sundage said. We talk about football.Sundhage coached the United States to gold medals at both the Beijing and London Games. A victory in Brazil would give her a third-straight Olympic title.The Brazilians have twice won silver medals at the Olympics. Both times, at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games, the United States won in the final.Swedens best finish was in Athens when the team fell to Germany in the bronze medal match. Brazil beat Sweden 1-0 in the semifinals at those Olympics.Yes, we are very excited. That we are doing something that the Swedish national team has never done before -- play for a medal -- its a big smile, Sundhage said. Still, were not satisfied. We want to win the next game. Stephen Tarpley Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. J.A. Happ Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. https://www.cheapyankees.com/901g-raul-mondesi-jersey-yankees.html . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. J.A. Happ Yankees Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Johnny Damon Yankees Jersey . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Englands Tony Bellew has certainly had his disappointments inside the boxing ring.There was his majority-decision loss to Nathan Cleverly in a challenge for a light heavyweight world title in 2011.Bellews second shot at a world title went even worse. He traveled to Quebec City in 2013 and was dominated in a sixth-round knockout loss to world champion Adonis Stevenson.But then Bellew moved up to the cruiserweight division, where he has thrived. He has won seven fights in a row since the weight-class change, including an impressive and explosive third-round knockout of dangerous puncher Ilunga Junior Makabu on May 29 to win a vacant cruiserweight world title.Filled with confidence and in a groove over the past two years, Bellew, who survived a first-round knockdown by Makabu, is excited for his first title defense, which will come against BJ Flores on Saturday at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, Bellews hometown.One of the reasons for the excitement is because the 33-year-old Bellew (27-2-1, 17 KOs) doesnt particularly care for Flores, best known these days to American fight fans as an analyst on NBCs Premier Boxing Champions cards.The fight was made because of his mouth, Bellew said. Hes been following me around for two years, saying Im not a cruiserweight, Im a light heavyweight, saying I couldnt live with him. On Saturday night I am going to show him what I can do.When I say something, I mean it. Everything hes said hes meant it and hes going to pay for it on Saturday night. Hes had [an interim] world title [fight], whereas Ive done it the hard way. Ive earned every single thing that Ive got. Ive boxed in final eliminators against top fighters, and its going to show on Saturday night.Flores, 37, of Chandler, Arizona, has been somewhat inactive. He boxed only once in 2015, losing a debatable unanimous decision to Beibut Shumenov for an interim title in July. A 10-month layoff followed before Flores (32-2-1, 20 KOs) shook off the rust with a six-round decision win against journeyman Roberto Santos in May.The so-called loss to Shumenov still burns, Flores said. I know guys cry about being robbed all the time, but in that fight, I really was robbed. I outlanded the guy by such a clear margin. If I had won that fight, or if I had been given the decision I clearly deserved, it would be a big unification fight [with Bellew].I love this fight as it is a second opportunity for me, and to beat Bellew in front of his hometown fans, it would be the ultimate example of how perseverance can pay off.After Bellew won the 200-pound world title belt, he aand Flores began a heated exchange on social media.dddddddddddd That interaction was partly responsible for Flores landing the opportunity, and when the fight was first announced Bellew said he would smash BJ Flores to bits and be the first man to stop him. Hes been mouthing off and following me around for a couple of years and Im just a little bit fed up with him now.But Flores said he is unmoved by Bellews talk of a brutal knockout prediction. He even gave him props for it.Ive never been KOd. Its been a very long while since Ive been knocked down, and Tony will come forward, Flores said. Ive rarely been hurt in my career, ever, not since my younger days. As I say, this fight has all the ingredients. I like the way he speaks his mind and how he believes in himself.He cant talk the way he has been doing and then run in the fight the way Shumenov did. Whatever gets him motivated for the fight, then thats what hes going to do. Hell see what Ive got to say in the first round. He says hes going to do this or that. He can say whatever he wants. Ill do my talking from Round 1. I am going for the KO. I dont see the need to go the distance and I dont want it to. Im going to set a fast pace from the start and Ive put the work in to make sure I can maintain that pace for as long as I need to.Bellew said he doesnt believe Flores respects him, despite his words.He says he respects me, but I know he doesnt, Bellew said. His playboy mates think I am an easy touch, but when he gets in the ring and I hit him with 10-ounce gloves on, hes going to feel it. Hes going to look across the ring at me and think, He looks a bit chunky, a bit flabby, but trust me, when I hit him for the first time hell think, What was that? The same thing Makabu thought.Flores must have some respect for Bellew, however. He traveled to England weeks ago rather than wait until the week before the fight so he could get used to the time change and to make sure he is fully adjusted. That appears to indicate that he is taking Bellew seriously.If he gets by me, then congratulations to him because this is the best version of BJ Flores thats ever been, so if he beats me then hes a real guy, Flores said. But I really feel that [Saturday] is my night. Im not worried about his predictions or his attempts to rile me. Its not going to work.Bellew, however, believes differently.Its not trash talk. Its brutal truth, he said. On Saturday night Im going to put it to bed. ' ' '