Mario Gotze scored a hat trick on Wednesday as defending champion Borussia Dortmund routed Hannover 5-1 in the German Cup to set up a quarterfinal at Bayern Munich.

"It was outstanding," said Dortmund coach Jupp Klopp on the club's 103rd birthday. "The whole team played a fantastic game, with brilliant football. We're really keen on this competition."

Arsenal has secured the futures of five key players, with Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, and Carl Jenkinson signing new deals.

Arsenal has lost a string of top talent in recent years, including Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.

Cristiano Ronaldo said he would like to win the world player of year prize but he places more importance on helping Portugal win its first international trophy.

He added in an interview posted on the Portuguese Football Federation website on Wednesday, "Careers are made by trophies that are won collectively, not individually.

Barcelona canceled meetings with the club president and journalists on Wednesday amid reports that coach Tito Vilanova is ill.

The club said on its website "it has suspended a meeting with President Sandro Rosell scheduled for this afternoon" and "canceled Christmas lunch with the media."

Serena Williams has undergone surgery on her big toes and withdrawn from an exhibition match against top-ranked Victoria Azarenka in Thailand this month.

A medical certificate from Florida podiatrist Jeffrey Rockefeller says Williams "was treated for a chronic foot disorder which involved minor procedures on both of her great toes."

World Cup and European champion Spain has completed a full year atop the FIFA rankings, and Brazil has plummeted to No. 18.

The 2014 World Cup host has dropped while playing only non-competitive matches, and failed to win last month.

San Antonio's worrying form dip continued with a 112-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday in which the Spurs threatened a comeback from a big deficit yet could not sink the vital shots in the final seconds.

San Antonio suffered its fourth loss in five games and dropped to second in the Southwest Division behind idle Memphis. Other leading teams had wins on Tuesday, with Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and Golden State among the victors.

Bayern Munich overcame a red card for Franck Ribery to reach the quarterfinals of the German Cup with a 2-0 win at Augsburg on Tuesday.

Ribery set up Mario Gomez for Bayern's opening goal in the 26th minute of the third round match, when the Frenchman got his cross in despite the attention of three defenders.

Inter Milan beat Serie B side Hellas Verona 2-0 to advance to the Italian Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Antonio Cassano put Inter ahead in the 50th after taking a pass from Fredy Guarin. Four minutes later, Guarin scored with a free kick that deflected in off Verona's wall at the San Siro.

Lionel Messi agreed on a new contract with Barcelona on Tuesday through 2018.

Messi, the three-time world player of the year, has 90 goals in 2012, surpassing Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old milestone of 85 in a calendar year.