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GOTEBORG, Sweden -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one goal and set up another to help Sweden beat Iceland 3-2 Wednesday in the hosts first friendly warm-up for the European Championship. Ibrahimovic put Sweden ahead in the second minute, meeting a cross from Sebastian Larsson with a superb left-footed volley from just inside the area. He then delivered a perfect cross for Ola Toivonen to tap in from close range in the 14th as the hosts looked to be in a high-scoring mood. However, the Swedish attack fizzled out after that, and Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson pulled one back for Iceland with a strong header just inside the far post in the 27th. After a flurry of second-half substitutions, Christian Wilhelmsson added the third with a right-footed shot from a tough angle inside the area in the 78th and Hallgrimur Jonasson headed in a corner for Iceland in injury time. Sweden was playing against its former coach Lars Lagerback for the first time. Lagerback led Sweden to five straight major tournaments between 2000 and 2008, but was replaced by Erik Hamren after failing to reach the 2010 World Cup and took over Iceland last year. Hamren is pinning his hopes on Ibrahimovic going into his first major tournament as coach, and deployed the AC Milan striker in a No. 10 role behind fellow forward Markus Rosenberg in the first half. Judging by the opening 15 minutes of Wednesdays game, thats likely where hell playing at the Euros as well when Sweden take on Ukraine, England and France in Group D. "We know hes good in any position hes playing in, but he seems to enjoy that role," Hamren said. "A goal and an assist isnt bad." Sweden looked far from impressive for the final 75 minutes, however, and Hamren acknowledged that the team has to get a lot better defensively before its Euro 2012 opener against Ukraine in Kyiv. The teams staff has to get better at spelling as well. Wilhelmsson, the former Roma and Bolton winger who now plays for Saudi Arabian team Al Ahli, was playing in a shirt that had his name misspelled on the back. "I havent been in the team in a while, so I guess its not that easy for the federation to get my name right," Wilhelmsson joked. "Hopefully itll be fixed before the next game." Cheap Jerseys From China . Financial terms of the deal were not released, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported it is a five-year deal worth around $45 million. Cheap Jerseys Direct . Thome has not played since leaving Saturday nights game with tightness on the left side of his lower back. The move was made retroactive to Sunday. The 41-year-old Thome is hitting .111 with no homers or RBIs and 10 strikeouts in 18 at-bats. http://www.dancewithmeusa.com/hot.html . -- The Atlanta Falcons have announced the signing of offensive guard Harland Gunn after backup lineman Joe Hawley received a four-game suspension for violating NFL rules on performance-enhancing substances. ATLANTA -- Paul Pierce knocked down the free throws to clinch it, then dropped to a knee near midcourt. He wasnt planning on Tebowing, but it just felt right. With a stunning performance, Pierce single-handedly led the Boston Celtics to a playoff win -- even without their floor leader. Pierce battled through another tough shooting night to score 36 points and the Celtics wiped out Atlantas 11-point lead in the second half, stunning the Hawks 87-80 on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference series. Boston heads home for Game 3 on Friday night tied 1-1. Rajon Rondo will be back for the Celtics in that one, his shorthanded team having claimed the home-court edge even while he served a one-game suspension for bumping a ref in the post-season opener. Pierce made sure the point guard wasnt missed, outscoring the Hawks all by himself over the last 15:08. "I have a lot of experience, a lot of confidence from being in those moments," Pierce said. "You believe in yourself, your coach believes in you, your team believes in you, its a combination of all those things." Pierce scored Bostons first nine points but struggled mightily through the second and third quarters. He came through when the Celtics really needed him, especially with the Rondo-less offence a bit out of sync and Ray Allen sitting out again with an injured right ankle. Down the stretch, the Celtics simplified things: Give the ball to Pierce and get out of the way. "Paul was great," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "The only way we were going to win a game like this without Ray and Rondo was if Paul had a game like this." After making a couple of foul shots with just over a minute remaining to clinch it, Pierce paused on his way back to the bench to copy the move named after NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, sinking to a knee and bowing his head for a brief prayer in the middle of the court. "You just want to thank God for putting you in those positions," Pierce said. "It wasnt pre-scripted. It just came to me." The Hawks appeared to be in control when they pushed out to a 65-54 lead late in the third quarter. But Boston sliced it to 66-61 by the end of the period, and Pierce led a dominating fourth. In wiping out the double-figure deficit, Pierce outscored the Hawks all by himself, 18-15, including 13 points in the final quarter. That was more than he had in all of Game 1, when Atlanta held Pierce to 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting. "We expected him to come out and be aggressive offensively," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "He got going early." The Celtics were up 74-72 when a quick spurt essentially finished the Hawks, especially when Josh Smith went out late in the game with a sprained left knee. Joe Johnson turned it over, part of another tough game for the Hawks star, sparking a fast break that ended with a give-and-go from Avery Bradley to Pierce for a dunk. After Jeff Teague missed badly on a jumper, Pierce came down and hit his first 3-pointer of the series after missing his 10, stretching the lead to 79-72 with 3 1/2 minutes left. The Hawks called a timeout, but no need. This one was over. Atlantas last hurrah ended when Johnson misssed a free throw with a chance to close the gap to two points with 1:35 remaining.dddddddddddd Kevin Garnett was hacked at the other end and made both his foul shots, Johnson missed a wild 3 from the top of the key and chants of "Lets go Celtics!" erupted at Philips Arena while the red-clad fans headed for the exits. For good measure, Pierce also led his team in rebounding with 14. Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Bradley, who shifted over to take Rondos spot at the point, chipped in with 14 points but only three assists -- a far cry from what the Celtics usually get out of that position. Johnson had 22 points but never got many open looks, hitting just 7 of 17 from the field. Smith had 16 points and 12 rebounds, the state of his knee now becoming a major concern for the Hawks, who already have played most of the season without Al Horford. Smith, who went out for good with 4:20 remaining, will be re-evaluated Wednesday. The Hawks surely cant afford to lose him, too. "He is one of our go-to guys down the stretch," Drew said. "We were missing all of the things he brings to the table for us, especially down low." Early on, Teague was a force at both ends for the Hawks. He made a great crossover move out beyond the 3-point stripe, split the Celtics defence and went right down the lane for a massive slam. Defensively, he showed off his speed when he got caught on the wrong side trying to double-team the ball, sprinting all the way to the other corner to swat a 3-point attempt by Keyon Dooling into the crowd. Teague thumped his chest defiantly and was patted on the back by a fan wearing a vintage Hawks jersey. He finished with 18 points but missed all four of his shots in the fourth. The game definitely appeared to be going the Hawks way by the third quarter. When Smith tried to pass the ball inside, Bostons Greg Stiemsma got a hand on it, but the ball deflected into the corner -- right to a wide-open Johnson, standing behind the 3-point arc. With no one around, he swished the 3 to push the Hawks to their 65-54 advantage. For the longest time, the Celtics struggled to do anything right. They botched a 3-on-1 when Mickael Pietrus tried an ill-advised bounce pass, which was about the only way Atlantas Kirk Hinrich had any chance of breaking it up. The Hawks took off the other way, and Smith laid in an easy one. Rivers stormed out of his seat, livid at his teams sloppiness, and signalled for a timeout. He was so mad he didnt even want to stand near his players as they trudged to the bench, remaining out near the foul line until he regained his composure. He was feeling a lot better by the end. The Hawks made just 4 of 19 shots in the final quarter, missing all four of their 3-point attempts. They also turned it over five times. "We wanted that one at home," Teague said. "Well have to go on the road and try to get the next one." Notes: The Celtics had hoped Allen would be able to return, but his ailing right ankle had a setback after feeling relatively good Monday. ... The Hawks shot just 35 per cent (29 of 83). ... Boston held a 45-40 edge on the boards, even while collecting just three at the offensive end. ' ' '