The Lebanese government has reached an agreement to hold the Lebanese national team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar without spectators.

The game is scheduled to be held at the Kamil Chamoun stadium in Beirut on Sunday.

Grimacing in pain with almost every step, Andy Murray nearly had to call it quits Thursday because of a bad back at the French Open.

Instead, the fourth-seeded Brit rebounded from an awful first set to beat Jarkko Nieminen 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 and reach the third round.

LeBron James scored 34 points and Dwyane Wade added 23 as Miami withstood a stellar performance by Boston's Rajon Rondo to beat the Celtics 115-111 in over-time in game two of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

With Wednesday's victory, the Heat took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series that will send the winners into the NBA Finals against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City.

It used to be that Venus Williams was the one who was highly ranked, the one considered a title contender, the one who would dominate foes so thoroughly that matches would be tidily wrapped up in an hour.

Now 31, and figuring out from day to day how to handle an illness that saps her strength, Williams was on the wrong end of a lopsided 60-minute defeat in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday.

Liverpool were poised to wrap up their two-week search for a manager later Thursday by completing the signing of Brendan Rodgers from Swansea.

Rodgers, 39, was offered the Anfield job on Wednesday and his employers at the Welsh club have agreed to release the highly rated coach from his position at the Liberty Stadium.

Germany are looking to avoid their third straight friendly defeat and pick up a much-needed pre-Euro 2012 confidence booster in Thursday's warm-up game against Israel in Leipzig.

Despite their billing amongst the pre-tournament favorites, a second string German side were beaten 5-3 by Switzerland last Saturday in Basel as their defense showed some glaring weaknesses, which coach Joachim Loew needs to fix against Israel.

Fernando Torres celebrated his return to the Spain team with a first half goal as the World and European Champions continued their preparation for Euro2012 with a 4-1 win over South Korea.

Fresh from capturing the Champions League with Chelsea, Torres' fortunes appear to be turning after what was generally a poor campaign where he scored just eleven goals and was dropped from the Spain squad in February.

Roger Federer dropped a set before earning his record-breaking 234th Grand Slam match victory to reach the third round of the French Open.

Federer eliminated 92nd-ranked Adrian Ungur of Romania 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 Wednesday to break a tie with Jimmy Connors for most career wins at major tournaments in the Open era, which began in 1968.

The president of the Syrian Olympic Committee says nine athletes from the war-torn country have qualified for the London Olympics and will compete "despite all pressures, media war and threats to ban them."

Gen. Mowaffak Joumaa says Syria plans to send up to 10 athletes and several officials even though a travel ban looms against top officials.

Exercising their NBA contract option, the Los Angeles Clippers retained Vinny Del Negro as coach for the 2012-2013 season, the club announced.

No terms of the deal were announced, but the move had been expected after the Clippers, long-time losers, went 40-26 in a season shortened by a 2011 money dispute between players and club owners.