Four-time European champions Barcelona will take on the winners between Esperance and Al-Sadd in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in Yokohama on December 15, according to a draw on Thursday.

South American champions Santos, the other semi-final seeds, will face the winners between CONCACAF champions Monterrey and the side who survive the only first-round match, in Toyota on December 14.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and defender Alvaro Arbeloa missed training after picking up injuries in international matches this week, the club said.

"Cristiano Ronaldo did not train due to a strain in the adductor muscle of his left thigh, and neither did Arbeloa, who is suffering from a strain in his left hamstring," the club said in a statement on its website.

The Formula One United States Grand Prix is set to be called off even before it has had its first edition the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone told the Press Association on Wednesday.

Ecclestone said there was no doubt that at the next meeting of the sport's governing body The FIA on December 7 the race due to be raced in Austin, Texas, in November next year would be pulled from the calendar.

As another fortnight of games disappeared from the NBA calendar on Tuesday, NBA players filed anti-trust lawsuits against the league saying the lockout denied them their right to work.

As of Tuesday evening, NBA.com's schedule for the 2011-2012 season showed the first games set for December 15 -- representing two more weeks of cancelled contests after the labor dispute wiped out all scheduled match-ups in November.

Coach Joachim Loew warned Germany have won nothing yet, despite his side's impressive 3-0 hammering of Euro 2012 rivals the Netherlands in a friendly.

Veteran striker Miroslav Klose maintained his astonishing international form with a goal and two assists on Tuesday against the World Cup finalists.

Angry fans called Wednesday for the resignation of coach Cho Kwang-Rae after South Korea suffered a stunning 1-2 defeat to underdogs Lebanon in the third round of regional World Cup qualification.

The official website of the Korea Football Association (KFA) was flooded with critical postings, with one suggesting a petition campaign to press the KFA to dismiss Cho.

Sebastian Fernandez scored the only goal of the game as Uruguay stunned Italy with a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico here on Tuesday.

In a game that had seven bookings and a red card for the visitors, Italy dominated for long spells but lacked the cutting edge their opponents found inside three minutes.

A double from Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal to a 6-2 victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the second leg of their Euro 2012 play-off here on Tuesday as they secured their place at next year's finals.

The 26-year-old's brace -- a stunning 35 yard first-half free-kick and then a slick finish in the 53rd minute -- saw him equal Luis Figo's tally of 32 international goals.

Britain's Andy Murray will face world number one Novak Djokovic in the group stages of the ATP World Tour Finals, following Tuesday's draw in London.

Murray, the winner of five tour titles this season, was also drawn in the same group as Spaniard David Ferrer and Czech Tomas Berdych, who knocked him out at the quarter-final stage of the Paris Masters last week.

Lebanon defeated South Korea 2-1 in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, sparking a wave of celebrations across Lebanon.

Held at the Cite Sportive stadium in Beirut and attended by President Michel Suleiman, Lebanon’s Ali al-Saadi scored an early goal in the fourth minute after a free kick.