Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said star midfielder Jude Bellingham is "OK" after being substituted in the 89th minute of their 2-1 Champions League win at Braga on Tuesday night.

Bellingham scored Madrid's second goal of the night to help seal a win that keeps them perfect on nine points atop Group C through three games ahead of Saturday's Clasico against Barcelona in LaLiga.

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"He is OK," Ancelotti said when asked why Bellingham had been substituted. "His adductors are a bit charged because the pitch was a bit soft. But nothing special. He will recover. He is OK. He is a bit tired, like everybody else. But that's normal."

Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the 16th minute with a shot from inside the area -- his first goal since August -- after a run by Vinícius Júnior down the left flank, and Bellingham added to the lead in the 61st with a low shot into the far corner.

"It's normal to suffer a little in away matches," said Vinícius, who assisted on Bellingham's goal. "But we played well and scored the goals with the chances we created. And could've scored even more. We have to keep this run going after having won the first three matches."

The 20-year-old Bellingham has not gone consecutive games without scoring for Madrid. The Englishman has scored in each of the first three matchday's in the Champions League for the second season in a row, after doing the same with Borussia Dortmund in 2022-23.

He controlled the pace of the game at midfield to help Madrid dominate early. Braga, which had won five in a row in all competitions, didn't have any attempts on target in the first half.

The LaLiga leaders will now prepare for their first match against Barcelona this season, with Madrid sitting one point ahead of the Catalans after 10 matches played.

"I have a clear idea," Ancelotti said about Madrid's approach for Saturday's game. "After this game, it is pretty clear what we want to do. And that is to try to win. To do all we can to try to win. We have time to prepare. Today I changed the line-up a bit, because some players were a bit sore. [David] Alaba is back from an injury.

"The same for [Ferland] Mendy. It could have been risky, but the substitute players did very well. I liked a lot [Eduardo] Camavinga as a pivot. He played a great game. We will arrive in great spirits at this next important match."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

Erik ten Hag branded Manchester United's 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen as a "narrow escape" after André Onana's stoppage time penalty save earned a first Champions League victory -- and the team's first points in Europe -- of the season.

United got off the mark in Group A thanks to a second-half header from Harry Maguire and Onana's late heroics on a night during which fans paid their respects to Sir Bobby Charlton, who died aged 86 on Saturday.

Ten Hag was celebrating after the final whistle as his team recorded a third straight win in all competitions, but the Dutchman admitted afterwards there was an element of fortune involved.

"The first half was not good," said Ten Hag. "The second half was better and we created more chances and finally the win was justified, but it was a narrow escape."

Onana has been heavily criticised since his summer move from Inter Milan, making costly errors in United's opening Champions League defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

But the Cameroon goalkeeper produced a wonderful save to stop Jordan Larsson's penalty, conceded by Scott McTominay in the fifth minute of injury time, with the last action of the night.

"He showed personality," said Ten Hag. "He knows that before, the levels of what his skills are, he didn't match his skills and he could do better.

"I think Saturday [against Sheffield United] was a very good performance, today as well. Also, don't forget that brilliant save just after half-time in the counter-attack."

As well as Onana, Ten Hag was also grateful for another unlikely hero in Maguire -- another target of United supporter angst -- who scored his first goal for the club since February, 2022.

"Stepping in passing vertical, defending also on front foot, stepping in defending forward, very confident in the duels, he is dominating, dominating his opponents," Ten Hag said.

"You see he gets rewarded, it's a very good skill from him, his heading. I have to say a great pass from Christian [Eriksen] as well and a very good finish."

Next up for Ten Hag's side is a Manchester derby with crosstown rivals City on Sunday as United tries to keep their good run of form on track.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson's suspension for violation of unnecessary roughness rules has been reduced from four games to two games, the NFL said Tuesday.

NFL spokesman Michael Signora announced the reduction after Jackson's meeting with appeals hearing officer Derrick Brooks, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association.

Jackson will now be eligible to return to the active roster on Nov. 14 -- the day after the team's game against the Buffalo Bills. He will miss Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the game against the Bills, which comes following the bye week.

Jackson was ejected from Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers for his sideline hit on Packers tight end Luke Musgrave in the fourth quarter. It was the second time this season that Jackson was ejected for an illegal hit.

"On the play in question, you delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, when you had the time and space to avoid such contact," vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Jackson. "You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to."

Runyan noted in the letter that Jackson has had multiple instances of violations of player-safety rules.

Entering Sunday's game, Jackson had been fined four times this season for unnecessary roughness -- for a total of $89,670. He was also ejected from a Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders after a hit on tight end Logan Thomas.

"I just know where he's at as a player; we'll keep working on that," coach Sean Payton said Monday. "I know he'll keep working on it. He's someone that's smart and really wants to do the right thing. It's one of the toughest parts of our game for the officials, for the players, for all of us involved of getting that to where it's clear and easy. Sometimes, it's just not.''

The original four-game suspension was the longest punishment for violating player-safety rules since 2019, when Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was suspended indefinitely for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with Rudolph's helmet. Garrett eventually missed six games before he was reinstated.

Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict was also suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season - 12 games at the time - for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle.

The scope of the alleged illicit scouting ring being orchestrated by suspended Michigan analyst Connor Stalions continues to grow, as sources told ESPN on Tuesday that he bought tickets for games at four schools outside of the Big Ten that were either in College Football Playoff contention or playing contenders.

There also is record of Stalions buying tickets to the 2021 and 2022 SEC title games, sources told ESPN. The tickets to the SEC title games were purchased on the secondary market, according to sources.

ESPN also learned that Stalions, who is at the center of an NCAA investigation into Michigan's alleged sign-stealing operation, bought tickets to a 12th Big Ten school, as sources at 12 of the 13 possible Big Ten schools have a record of Stalions buying a ticket there. ESPN reported on Monday there were 11 schools.

According to four sources, all of the tickets for games outside the Big Ten involved CFP contenders and were purchased either toward the middle or end of the 2022 season, as Michigan was headed to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season.

The Big Ten announced last week that Michigan (8-0, 5-0) is under NCAA investigation for the alleged sign-stealing operation. The Wolverines are the No. 2 team in the country and the current betting favorite to win the national title.

Soon after ESPN reported that Stalions had emerged as a centerpiece of the NCAA's investigation into Michigan's sign-stealing scheme on Friday, the school suspended him with pay. Since then, schools around the country have been checking their ticket data -- which includes the secondary market in most cases -- to see if Stalions purchased tickets to their games.

ESPN has confirmed that Stalions has purchased tickets to more than 35 games at 17 stadiums around the country. He has used a network of at least three people, who were forwarded the tickets to attend games.

A source told ESPN on Tuesday that the NCAA has been sent at least an hour of video evidence that shows a person sitting in a seat appearing to video the home sideline with a smartphone. Stalions purchased the ticket for that seat. The video is expected to be used as part of the investigation to show that electronics were used in the signal-stealing ring, according to sources.

"Unless something happens right now, it's irrelevant," a source on a Big Ten campus said, underscoring the frustration around the league. "Everyone is mad. This is not right. But what is the NCAA going to do about it?"

Although the NCAA is leading the investigation into Michigan, the Big Ten could take action against the school before the probe is complete, sources told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg on Tuesday. The Big Ten's sportsmanship policy states that commissioner Tony Petitti has the "exclusive authority to determine whether offensive actions have occurred" and to impose discipline for members.

The policy lists "integrity of the competition" as a fundamental element that all Big Ten schools are expected to uphold. Institutions are responsible for "the actions of its employees" and for cooperating with the league during an investigation.

The Big Ten has two categories for discipline. The first includes fines that don't exceed $10,000 and suspensions of no more than two contests. The second, for major disciplinary action, requires approval from an executive committee made up of representatives of different schools, which can deny proposed penalties or reduce them but not add to them. The Big Ten's penalties for Michigan State from the fight with Michigan in the Michigan Stadium tunnel in 2022 were an example of major disciplinary action.

A source told ESPN that the Big Ten would want to have "as full of a picture of what the facts actually are if we were to act" before the NCAA completes its investigation, which likely would not occur until sometime in 2024.

In a statement last week, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh denied "illegally stealing signs" and said he had never "directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment."

NCAA enforcement timelines are notoriously slow. Michigan is still under investigation for recruiting violations tied to allegations that emerged during the COVID-19 mandated recruiting dead period. (Harbaugh served a school-imposed three-game suspension for those violations earlier this year, but the case remains unfinished.)

The emergence of Stalions purchasing tickets at three College Football Playoff contenders outside the Big Ten reflects the potential breadth of the operation, which sources told ESPN last week was "elaborate."

After ESPN reported on Monday that sources at 11 of the possible 13 Big Ten schools had confirmed Stalions bought a ticket in his name at their stadium, another source at a 12th Big Ten school found a record of Stalions purchasing a ticket at their stadium. The school that didn't find Stalions in their records does not have access to search names in secondary markets.

According to the source, the ticket was purchased across from the visiting sideline for a game against Ohio State. It's the fourth Ohio State-related game that ESPN has confirmed, three of which were in opposing stadiums where the tickets were purchased across from the visitor's sideline. The fourth was OSU's game against Penn State on Saturday, for which Stalions had purchased tickets across from both sidelines, according to sources. Michigan still must play both of those teams this season.

Those tickets were not used after Stalions' name emerged in an ESPN story on Friday.

Michigan faced Georgia in 2021 College Football Playoff after scouting them in the SEC title game against Alabama that year. Michigan lost to Georgia 34-11 in the CFP semifinals.

On Tuesday, a Michigan spokesman reiterated that the school is "unable to comment further due to this being an ongoing investigation."

A Big Ten official also declined to comment further. On Monday, the league told ESPN that it "considers the integrity of competition to be of the utmost importance. Due to the ongoing nature of the NCAA investigation, the conference has no comment at this time."

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.

DENVER -- Nikola Jokic alternated his gaze between the flashy ring on his left hand and the new championship banner heading toward the rafters.

Both put a big grin on the big man's face.

Jokic and the Denver Nuggets went through a festive pregame ceremony Tuesday night to celebrate the franchise's first NBA title in front of a capacity crowd. The Nuggets tipped off the season against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers with their new title -- defending champions.

It certainly had a nice ring to it. A long time coming, too -- 47 NBA seasons in the making.

"Last year was amazing," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said to the fans. "We got one ring. Who wants another? Let's go get it."

On hand for the festivities was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. So, too, was Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Nuggets and Josh Kroenke, the team's president. Josh Kroenke brought the Larry O'Brien Trophy to midcourt to begin the party.

The Nuggets went 16-4 in the playoffs last season, including a sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Perhaps it was fitting that James and the Lakers were in the building for the opener and to hear the celebration.

"It's only right since last season ended in Denver, makes sense that this season starts in Denver, too," Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon said. "Thank you for coming out and supporting tonight and all season long on our road to repeat."

Player by player, the Nuggets stepped onto the court to receive rings that were created in collaboration with Jason of Beverly Hills, which designs championship rings that help tell the story. The rings that Jokic, Jamal Murray and the rest of the players received had one side with "World Champions" written on it, along with the Nuggets retro logo and the regular-season record (53-29). On the other side was the player's name, number and the Nuggets' mantra of "Bring it on."

The rings also included the elevation of the Mile High City (5280) and the postseason record on the inside. At the center of the ring is "Nuggets" inscribed in yellow diamonds along with their iconic pickaxes. There's also a hidden retractable ring that features the championship banner.

No wonder Jokic couldn't take his eyes off it. He and his teammates also came out in new warmups with "World Champions" written on the back.

The path to a repeat may go through the Lakers in the West. Or Phoenix. Or Memphis. Or Golden State. Or Dallas. Or the Clippers.

Bottom line: The West is stacked.

"The thing we spoke about going into training camp was understanding that there is a bullseye on our back every night," Malone said. "You get up for playing the world champs.

"The parity in the NBA is probably at an all-time high. The depth of each conference is tremendous. So you couple the parity with the fact that you're a defending champion or reigning champion, you're going to get everybody's best every night. ... With our success comes a responsibility to go out there and play to a standard of excellence every single night."

Veteran guard Bradley Beal will have to wait to make his debut for the Phoenix Suns, as he has been ruled out of Tuesday night's season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

Beal was listed on the NBA's injury report as questionable with lower back tightness. Coach Frank Vogel confirmed during his pregame availability that Beal is out and Grayson Allen will start in his place.

Beal was part of the offseason trade that landed Chris Paul in Golden State. He spent the first 11 years of his career with the Washington Wizards.

Devin Booker, listed as probable with left big toe soreness, will start for Phoenix.

Worcester Warriors' administrators Begbies Traynor say they are still owed 1.2m if prospective new owners Atlas are to finalise their purchase.

Atlas were last month given more time to finalise the buying of the troubled ex-Premiership club.

They are now under the control of Chris Holland, who also owns Wasps.

Holland, who this week announced a plan to move Wasps to Kent, took over last month as Atlas majority shareholder.

When Atlas were announced as new Warriors owners in May, having paid 2m to complete the purchase of WRFC Trading Limited, they were required to pay another 1m by 9 October.

But they did not meet that deadline and one of Holland's companies, Loxwood Holdings, now own the 97% holding of WRFC Trading by default as original Atlas owners Jim O'Toole and James Sandford had failed to repay a loan by the due date of 28 May.

The latest Begbies Traynor report also confirms that the administrators fee is fixed at 1.8m.

In the 13 months since being appointed to run affairs from Sixways in September 2022 following the collapse of the previous ownership, the cost of their work done could actually have risen to 3.4m.

"Our fees have been fixed by time costs subject to our fees estimate of 1.8m," said a Begbies spokesman. "If our time costs exceed this amount then we have to seek revised fee approval from the relevant body of creditors."

The report also highlights the continuing problems in trying to find a suitable buyer for Warriors - and confirms that all the bidders who sought Rugby Football Union (RFU) approval to play in the Championship this season were "unable to satisfy its requirements".

Begbies says that in accordance with the RFU's 'change of control' requirements, any purchaser of the club is required to satisfy all 'rugby creditors' within 28 days of being issued a licence to play in the appropriate league, unless otherwise agreed - but these rugby creditors were determined by the RFU.

The RFU have said whoever buys the club needs to pay the rugby creditors they had flagged - players, staff and Premiership rivals Gloucester, who were chasing compensation as a result of the cancellation of the first game after Warriors went bust.

However, Begbies say this does not line up with who their legal creditors are.

"The concept of rugby creditors does not exist under the Act and, in fact, is fundamentally at odds with certain insolvency principles," the report said.

"In particular, we have a statutory duty to distribute the realisations of the Company's assets in a manner that is prescribed in the Act."

"The RFU's requirement for the incoming purchaser to pay rugby creditors ahead of other creditors is inconsistent with this payment regime."

The report also reveals how the legacy of Covid is hanging over the Warriors. The company applied for 'business interruption' money from their insurers to try and claw back some cash for the loss of all those games during the pandemic, but it was rejected by the insurers.

As things stand, following the shock collapse of Warriors' separately funded womens team last week, the only Worcester sides playing on the artificial surface at Sixways this season are football teams - non-league ninth-tier outfit Worcester Raiders, from the Hellenic League, and Worcester City Women, who play in the West Midlands Regional League.

Wasps at Sixways in 2024?

But it was announced on Monday that Wasps could be training and playing out of Sixways next season.

Having announced a long-term move to Kent, in the short term they need a new stadium while their new home is being built.

But they are adamant that they do not want to replace Warriors and are committed to assisting Worcester's return to competitive rugby.

If Worcester's affairs can be sorted out, like fellow Wasps and London Irish, there is the incentive of a place in the proposed Premiership 2, if it gets off the ground in time for the 2025-26 season.

It is now over a year ago since Warriors, along with Midlands rivals Wasps, were expelled from the Premiership after going into administration because of their financial problems.

Both sides were given opportunities by the RFU to play at second-tier level in the Championship this season, but neither were able to provide financial stability in time.

When either Wasps or Worcester reapply to join the RFU pyramid, they were originally told that they would have to do so at the bottom rung - but that might not now be the case.

BBC Sport has been told that "the door has been kept open for Wasps, Worcester and Irish".

The newly launched Professional Women's Hockey League placed a big emphasis on the "W" in its identity in a logo it unveiled Tuesday.

The design incorporates two crossed hockey sticks to form the "W" in PHWL, which begins plays in January. The design is made up of six pieces, including a puck, to reflect the PWHL's six inaugural franchises.

"When people see the logo, they will recognize how it represents women and immediately know it's about hockey," PWHL board member Stan Kasten said in a statement. "The 'W' symbol speaks for itself but offers versatility to fit nicely when used inside our PWHL lettering."

The logo's primary color is purple, which the league said "signifies power and is often associated with ambition, both symbolic of PWHL players and the league's formation." During the league's draft last month, players entered walking on a purple carpet.

The league is bringing together the top women's players in the world and will have yet-to-be-named teams based in Boston, New York, Minnesota, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Training camps are scheduled to open on Nov. 15.

The logo was created by Baltimore-based Younts Design Inc, whose clients include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. Dodgers owner Mark Walters is the PWHL's primary financial backer.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld Rasmus Andersson's four-game suspension Tuesday, one day after hearing the appeal from the Calgary Flames defenseman.

Andersson received the ban Sunday for a hit against Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine during the Flames' 3-1 loss Friday in Columbus. The incident occurred as the final horn sounded, when he lowered the boom on Laine, who was attempting to score into an empty net.

Andersson was whistled for a major penalty for elbowing Laine, who did not travel with the Blue Jackets for their game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

The NHL said Andersson's launch with his elbow toward Laine's head, the force of the hit and the fact that the game effectively was out of reach "combined to elevate this hit to the level of supplemental discipline" in its video explaining the reasoning for the suspension on Saturday.

Bettman wrote in his ruling that the NHL Players' Association was seeking a reduction of the suspension from four games to three.

"Given the nature and circumstances of the hit, I find that any mitigating factors here are insufficient to warrant a reduction in the department of Player Safety's discipline," Bettman wrote.

Andersson will forfeit nearly $95,000 in pay for the duration of the suspension, which will keep him out of Saturday's Heritage Classic against the rival Oilers outdoors at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. He is eligible to return Nov. 1 against Dallas.

Andersson, 26, has three points (one goal, two assists) in five games this season. He has 164 points (28 goals, 136 assists) and 187 penalty minutes in 382 games with the Flames, who drafted him in the second round in 2015.

On Monday, the Blue Jackets placed Laine on injured reserve, and Columbus recalled forward Dmitri Voronkov from the AHL to fill the roster spot. Officially, Laine, 25, is day-to-day with an upper body injury following the hit.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.