Roberto Mancini will this week start his bid to make Saudi Arabia's national team as much of an international discussion topic as its big-spending professional league.

Just two years after leading Italy to the European title, Mancini left Rome for Riyadh in August.

Germany will play the United States in the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup, a rematch of an exhibition matchup from earlier this summer where the Americans needed a big rally to win.

Franz Wagner scored 16 points and Germany — the last unbeaten team left in the World Cup — held off Latvia 81-79 in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday, pulling away in the fourth quarter of what had been a back-and-forth matchup for the first 30 minutes.

Saudi Arabian champion Al Ittihad and its star striker Karim Benzema avoided Manchester City in the semifinals draw Tuesday for the first FIFA Club World Cup to be hosted by the kingdom.

The Dec. 12-22 tournament for continental champions and the host nation's league winner will be played in Al Ittihad's home city Jeddah – the latest statement of Saudi ambitions in global soccer including aiming to host the men's World Cup in 2034.

The Serbian Basketball Federation announced that forward Borisa Simanic has lost one of his kidneys as the result of an injury sustained during a World Cup game against South Sudan.

Simanic has been operated on twice in Manila, the team said. Additional complications presented themselves after the first surgery, team doctor Dragan Radovanovic said, requiring the second procedure on Sunday where the kidney was removed.

Lithuania beat the U.S. at the 1998 world championships, then failed to medal. Lithuania then beat the U.S. again at the 2004 Olympics, then failed to medal.

And history will repeat itself at this World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and their Saudi Arabian football clubs will play in Iran for Asian Champions League games this season because of improved relations between the countries.

The Asian Football Confederation on Monday praised "a groundbreaking agreement" between the Saudi and Iranian football federations that lets their teams host each other in home and away games instead of seeking neutral ground.

If there was a silver lining to the U.S. World Cup team losing to Lithuania, it's this: The Americans now truly know how painful it is to watch another national team line up against a nation that has won four consecutive Olympic gold medals and celebrate in its face.

As one might guess, they didn't enjoy that feeling.

The U.S. is assured of going to the Paris Olympics. That's good. It also has a quarterfinal game at the World Cup awaiting Tuesday. That's also good.

Thing is, the only celebrating in Manila on Sunday night was done by the guys in the other locker room.

Cristiano Ronaldo was named in Portugal's squad on Friday for upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Everything had looked so easy for the U.S. at the Basketball World Cup. Points were coming in bunches, final scores were blowouts and stress wasn't a problem.

Until Friday.