[CYPRUS CUP] France served notice that it will be a serious contender at the London Olympic women's soccer competition with a 2-0 win over Canada in the final of the Cyprus Cup. Marie-Laure Delie and Louisa Necib scored on the half hour and hour to give the Bleues the title.

France finished fourth at the 2011 Women's World Cup but has one of the most skillful and deepest teams in women's soccer.

Italy beat England, 3-1, for third place in the Cyprus Cup. (Great Britain -- England plus Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales -- will be representing the host country at the London Olympics.)

The only other team assured of an Olympic berth at the Cyprus Cup was South Africa, which fell to Scotland, 2-0, for ninth place. New Zealand, expected to win the Oceania berth, lost to the Netherlands in a shootout.

FINAL
March 6 in Larnaca
France 2 Canada 0. Goals: Delie 31, Necib (pen.) 62.
France -- Bouhaddi, Franco, Meilleroux, Renard, Bompastor, Le Sommer (Georges, 90), Abily, Bussaglia, Thiney (Boulleau, 84), Necib, Delie (Thomis, 75).
Canada -- McLeod, Wilkinson, Chapman, Moscato, Sesselmann (Stewart, 60), Kyle (Timko, 87), Scott, Schmidt, Sinclair, Julien (Parker, 46), Tancredi (Buckland, 73).