Alvaro Morata would be content to start each of Spain's World Cup games on the substitutes' bench if it meant La Roja won the tournament.

Atletico Madrid striker Morata has come off the bench in both of his country's games in Qatar so far, scoring in the win over Costa Rica and the draw with Germany.

Those four points mean Luis Enrique's side need only a point against Japan on Thursday to qualify for the knockout stage.

Should he not be selected in the starting XI for that match, Morata insists he will have no complaints and will gladly cheer his team-mates on.

"At club level you've got more time to train, more space, and obviously, you want to play," he told Onda Cero. "But here, I can assure you that it doesn't bother to me at all [to be a substitute].

"In fact, if I had to choose coming on from the bench in all the games, or even not playing, but the team wins the World Cup, I would sign up for it. I would cheer the team on from the bench.

"In the end, we have a goal, a dream, and all of us feel important. Everyone is important in different ways. All of us are important and everyone has his function.

"Many players who don't play can be the ones who give more to the group. Historically, it has been like that in the national team.

"I always give an example to the people that want to play but don't play as much as they want. They have to look at Pepe Reina and Iker Casillas.

"They were here [previous World Cups] without playing, but they always gave their best, so they are examples to follow, and they got the credit that they deserved, whether they played or not."

Morata is Spain's joint-fifth highest scorer of all time with 29 goals, yet he has often been criticised by supporters.

The 30-year-old admits he has spent too much time listening to other people's opinions of him, but says his own criticism has been the most damaging.

"I enjoy doing my job," he added. "People can call me crazy, but I have spent maybe eight or nine years of a career that can last 15, thinking about what, how, and when people say.

"A person has to be happy as he is, assume the good and bad things, and don't let anyone take away your happiness.

"If there is one thing I regret in my professional career and in my life, it is having been my own worst enemy many times."

FIFA has confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo did not score Portugal's first goal in Monday's win over Uruguay after Adidas' match ball technology revealed there was no touch on Bruno Fernandes' cross.

Ronaldo was initially thought to have scored his ninth World Cup goal when he attempted to meet Fernandes' inswinging delivery with a glancing header, putting Portugal on course for a 2-0 win. 

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner celebrated the strike wildly, though FIFA later intervened to award Fernandes with his first World Cup goal.

Fernandes later made the points safe from the penalty spot as Portugal confirmed their place in the last 16, and the use of technology from match ball suppliers Adidas means his brace will stand.

A statement from FIFA provided to ESPN read: "In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball Technology housed in Adidas's Al Rihla official match ball, we are able to definitively show no contact on the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo for the opening goal in the game.

"No external force on the ball could be measured as shown by the lack of 'heartbeat' in our measurements. The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis."

Speaking after the win, Fernandes said the identity of Portugal's first goalscorer was unimportant but outlined his initial belief that Ronaldo had touched the ball.

However, FIFA's ruling means Fernandes has scored seven international goals in 2022, more than twice as many as any Portugal team-mate, with Ronaldo hitting the net three times for his country.

Meanwhile, Fernandes' former Manchester United team-mate remains one goal shy of matching Eusebio's all-time record of nine goals for Portugal at the World Cup finals – all of which came at the 1966 tournament.

Free agent Cristiano Ronaldo will not be joining Bayern Munich, says chief executive officer Oliver Kahn, despite acknowledging "we all love" the forward.

Portugal captain Ronaldo will be on the hunt for a new club after his exit from Manchester United, which has come less than 18 months after his return to Old Trafford.

With the attacker's focus firmly on the World Cup, his next steps are not yet known, though that has not stopped him from being linked to a slew of leading sides across the globe.

One club he will not be headed to, however, is Bayern, with Kahn reiterating there is no place for Ronaldo in the make-up of Julian Nagelsmann's team.

"We have already dealt with this [speculation]," Kahn told Sky Sport Germany. "We have a clear idea, a clear philosophy of how our squad should be put together.

"We all appreciate him, there's no discussion. We all love Cristiano Ronaldo, but that's something that doesn't fit into our idea."

Kahn sidestepped speculation over Bayern's reported long-term interest in England captain Harry Kane, with the Tottenham forward frequently mooted as a target.

"Of course he's a very good player, but there are also many other very good players," Kahn said. "I've read that everywhere, Oliver Kahn and Harry Kane.

"We deal with many, many players, and it is not okay to talk about players who are signed to other clubs. We have a very good squad that is doing an excellent job at the moment."

Bayern sit four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, ahead of Freiburg, and topped their Champions League group earlier this season with a perfect record of six wins from six matches.

Harry Kane has compared the "hype and noise" around his injury to similar fitness furores involving David Beckham and Wayne Rooney at other major tournaments.

Kane sustained a foot injury in England's World Cup opener against Iran, only to recover in time to lead the Three Lions out again against the United States.

The Tottenham striker struggled to impact that goalless draw, however, and there have been calls for him to be left out for the final group game against Wales on Tuesday.

But Kane insists he feels "good", suggesting speculation over the severity of his injury is an overreaction.

"I was an England fan before I was an England player. I know [about] when Rooney got injured [during Euro 2004], when Beckham had the injury [ahead of the World Cup in 2002], so I know the hype and noise that can come," Kane told BBC Sport.

"I know and understand why it happens, but from our point of view, we are fully focused on ourselves to go far in the tournament.

"I feel good. I know there has been a lot of noise. In the Iran game, I could easily have played the full 90 minutes, but the manager changed it for tactical reasons.

"I had a precautionary scan, which is common in our sport, and it came back pretty much all clear. Good to go.

"Physically, I feel good and I will be ready for the game."

Should Gareth Southgate decided to shuffle his pack for the final group game, Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson would likely replace Kane in attack. 

Kane would have no issues with that, adding: "Whether or not I am fully fit or injured, someone else can come in, in any position.

"The team isn't just me. We have 26 players here who are all looking to achieve the same thing: to win a World Cup."

World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi admits "improvements have to happen" after estimating "between 400 and 500" migrant workers died working on projects related to Qatar 2022.

The awarding of the competition to the Gulf state in 2010 has only grown more controversial in the years since due to its chequered past on human rights issues, its treatment of migrant workers and the illegality of homosexuality.

The official count for those to have died on World Cup sites is 37 among non-work related deaths and three from work-related accidents. However, it was reported by The Guardian last year the overall figure may surpass 6,500 deaths.

FIFA has constantly reiterated it is fully committed to protecting the rights of workers on projects such as constructing stadia, while president Gianni Infantino launched an impassioned defence on the eve of the competition.

While the actual death figure is unknown, Al-Thawadi – who was responsible for ensuring infrastructure and development projects were delivered in readiness for Qatar 2022 – accepts it is a lot higher than the 40 previously reported.

"The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500," he told Piers Morgan in an interview with TalkTV. "I don't have the exact number; that's something that's been discussed. One death is a death too many, plain and simple.

"I think every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites. The World Cup sites that we were responsible for, most definitely to the extent that you've got trade unions commending the work that's been done on the World Cup sites and the improvements."

When asked directly if the health and safety standards were good enough at the beginning of the project, Al-Thawadi said: "I think overall the need for labour reform itself dictates that yes, improvements have to happen.

"Just so we're clear, this was something we recognised before we bid. The improvements that have already happened aren't because of the World Cup. These are improvements we knew that we had to do because of our own values.

"Improvements that had to happen whether it's our health and safety standards, whether it's in terms of improving the accommodation standards, whether it's in terms of dismantling the Kafala System.

"The World Cup served as a vehicle, an accelerator, as a catalyst because of the spotlight which we recognised early on was going to be shed. It caused a lot of initiative not only in terms of improvement in isolation but in terms of enforcing it as well. 

"That's where today we got to a position where our most ardent of critics consider us to be a benchmark in the region."

Al-Thawadi addressed a number of other issues in the interview, such as whether Qatar is a safe place for people in same-sex relationships to visit.

"It's safe for everybody to be in Qatar, yes. Unequivocally, Piers, yes. I think it's safe for everybody to live in Qatar, Piers. From our position, and my personal position, we've always said everyone's welcome.

"We've worked hard to create an environment and to ensure that people from all parts of the world, all walks of life come into Qatar, engage and interact with people from the Arab world and the Middle East even though we might not see eye to eye on certain things, even though we might not agree on certain things, but everyone is welcome."

Croatia are the subject of disciplinary proceedings after Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan was targeted by supporters during their World Cup match last week.

FIFA opened proceedings on Tuesday "due to the behaviour of [Croatia's] fans".

Borjan is an ethnic Serb who was born in Knin in Croatia but fled with his family to Belgrade in 1995 during 'Operation Storm' – a Croatian offensive in its war of independence.

He later moved on to Canada, the country he represents at international level, but has spent much of his club career in Serbia, where he now plays for Red Star Belgrade.

During Croatia's 4-1 win over Canada, Borjan was the subject of a flag in the stands that read "Knin '95 – nothing runs like Borjan". Offensive chants were also reported to be aimed in his direction.

"I have nothing to comment on that, it only speaks about them," Borjan said after the game.

"I heard that they shouted and insulted me. This shows that they are primitives and should work on themselves and their families, because they obviously have some frustration, so they come here to vent it."

France boss Didier Deschamps dismissed suggestions striker Kylian Mbappe has an ego, and denied the Paris Saint-Germain star would influence his team selection for Wednesday's game against Tunisia.

Les Bleus have already secured their place in the knockout stage following wins over Australia and Denmark, meaning Deschamps is set to make several changes to his side for the Group D match at Education City Stadium.

Deschamps was not willing to go into detail on his starting XI but swatted aside a question implying Mbappe's ego would mean he'd demand to start.

"His fitness is fine so we don't need to manage that, so you are saying we have to manage his ego?" he said.

"What do you know about that? I know but you don't. Kylian doesn't have a big ego, that's not true.

"He's a key player but he's a team player. Of course, he's a star but he's not 18 years old anymore, he's more experienced.

"He wants to play tomorrow but not all of them can start the match, that's normal.

"You can imagine lots of things but I have a lot of factors to take into account. And my information is first hand, straight from the horse's mouth."

Tunisia must beat France and hope Denmark avoid defeat by Australia to be in contention to qualify, and Deschamps knows he has to balance his squad's needs with the integrity of the competition.

He added: "We are going through so we don't need to go all out for the victory, and it looks like we are going to win the group.

"But this is a World Cup game against an opponent that needs a result go through, and Australia and Denmark are also playing for their qualification. We will try to get the best result possible.

"I am going to have to manage the squad, I have a lot of things to take into account. I have some more time to make my decision - you will find out tomorrow - but yes, there will be changes, I just can't tell you how many."

There were reports on Monday that Deschamps' injury-hit squad may be boosted by the return of striker Karim Benzema, who sustained a recurrence of a thigh problem on the eve of the tournament, but has remained on France's squad list.

Benzema has left Qatar to receive treatment but Les Bleus' boss was baffled by talk of an imminent comeback for the Ballon d'Or winner.

"I am not sure, that's not something I am thinking about," he said. "Who is saying that?

"I talked to Karim after he left the squad but you know the situation, you know how long it will take him to recover. It is up to you if you want to speculate and imagine scenarios, that's not what I am focusing on at the moment."

Ben Simmons will be assessed on a day-by-day basis after a recurrence of a knee injury forced his early withdrawal from the Brooklyn Nets' victory over the Orlando Magic.

The point guard departed in the second quarter with soreness in his left knee and did not return, as his team went on to claim a 109-102 win at Barclays Center.

Simmons, who was traded to the Nets from the Philadelphia 76ers in February this year, has already missed six games this term with the same problem.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn revealed it was the 26-year-old's request to exit the match, but believes there is nothing too serious to be concerned about with his injury.

"We'll check him day by day, see how he responds with a little treatment," he said. "[We will] see what it looks like [on Tuesday]."

"I think more so than anything, [it is] the accumulation of games. He hasn't had this amount of accumulation of games over a period [for] a long time.

"[We] talked to the performance team about that. We were warned about that just as these games [started] to add up.

"It's really stretching him sometimes. The amount of games we've just had, with the minutes that he's played, [have been] pretty high going into tonight's game."

Simmons' absence is a blow for the Nets, with the Australian having arguably found his best form of the campaign this month, with an average of 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists across November.

The Nets next welcome the Washington Wizards on November 30, before a clash with the Toronto Raptors on December 2.

Ferrari have confirmed the departure of team principal Mattia Binotto, ending a professional relationship that extends all the way back to 1995.

The 53-year-old, who originally joined almost three decades ago as a member of their engine department, succeeded Maurizio Arrivabene in 2019 in charge of the Scuderia.

But his departure has been widely expected following a Formula One season that saw Ferrari rival Red Bull in the early stages before dropping away amid a series of technical errors and operational failures.

Binotto will officially depart at the end of the year, on December 31, with the team adding a search for his successor is already underway.

"With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari," he confirmed in a statement.

"I am leaving a company that I love with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set.

"I leave a united and growing team. I think it is right to take this step at this time, as hard as this decision has been for me."

Ferrari chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna paid tribute to Binotto, and added he leaves the team in a prime place to continue to compete at the top of the sport.

"I would like to thank Mattia for his many great contributions over 28 years with Ferrari and particularly for leading the team back to a position of competitiveness during this past year," he stated.

"As a result, we are in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport.

"Everyone here at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wishes Mattia well for the future."

Alessandro Del Piero is open to helping Juventus as the Serie A giants begin their search for a chairman to replace Andrea Agnelli and an entire new board.

Juve announced after an emergency meeting on Monday that Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and managing director Maurizio Arrivabene have all quit their roles.

It comes amid an investigation into alleged tax fraud, which Juventus have denied, and on the back of the club registering a record loss of €254.3million for 2021-22. 

Exor, who have a controlling stake in Juve, indicated on Tuesday that Gianluca Ferrero is in line to replace Agnelli as president.

Any decision over who succeeds Agnelli, Nedved and Arrivabene is expected to be made at a shareholders' meeting on January 18.

In what is another difficult period for the Turin side off the pitch, club legend Del Piero has indicated he is ready to aid Juve in any way possible – just as he did as a player.

“You're asking the question to someone like me that spent almost 20 years there," Del Piero, who spent nine years with the Bianconeri, told beIN SPORTS. 

"I got relegated with the team and I decided to stay so the relationships with me and the team, with the owners, the fans, are quite deep, very deep.

"We've been through everything to reach the top of the world and the bottom point in the club's entire history. This great journey brought me here with you. 

"It's something where every news regarding Juve is emotional for me and I'm going to stand by and see what's going to happen. 

"I was with them this summer for the tour they did in Los Angeles where I lived, and also in Lisbon. I'm friends with Pavel and everybody. It's sad for me seeing this situation."
  
Del Piero added: "I don't know the plan; nobody has called me. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know very well all that's happened. I still have a house in the city..."

Juve were stripped of titles and relegated to Serie B in the 2006-07 campaign over the 'Calciopoli' scandal, but Del Piero does not expect any such punishments this time around.

"This is not regarding the team; it's not going to affect the team in terms of relegation or other things," he said. 

"It's going to affect the people because it's allegations ongoing about the people, not only the president but the other board members. This will affect them if there's proof."

LeBron James acknowledged "everything went wrong" for the Los Angeles Lakers after their last-gasp 116-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer at the Crypto.com Arena to help his side secure victory after fighting back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Defeat marks a second in four matches for the Lakers, who bounced back from their loss to the Phoenix Suns last week with back-to-back wins over the San Antonio Spurs.

James, who posted 21 points in a tough outing, says he and his team-mates ultimately failed to shut the match down and ensure a hungry Pacers side could have no way back.

"[You have] just got to finish the game," he stated. "Everything has to go wrong in order for you to lose a game like that.

"Everything went wrong today. You tip your hat off to Indiana, they kept fighting, they kept pushing."

Coach Darvin Ham took full responsibility for his side's late collapse and questioned how he can fix his team's inability to chase offensive action over the closing stages.

"You get a lead like that and the free-throw line allows you to maintain your lead," he added. "I wish we'd been a lot more aggressive, [and] continued playing with pace.

"That falls on me. I take responsibility for that. Late in the game, [we were] just giving up offensive rebounds. That's been something that has plagued us the last couple of games."

The Lakers next welcome the Portland Trail Blazers on November 30, with the team mired in 13th place in the Western Conference.

Mike White's superb showings at quarterback do not appear to have changed Robert Saleh's ideas about bringing Zach Wilson back into the New York Jets fold.

The former continued his impressive season over the weekend, passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns during Sunday's 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears.

Wilson has struggled for form in recent weeks and passed for just 77 yards during a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots, leading to his demotion in favour of White.

But, despite those setbacks, there is still a path back into the side for the 2021 number two overall pick, with Saleh unwilling to commit to one player or the other.

"It's a week-to-week deal," he stated. "The full intent is to get Zach ready to play football again. I'll make that decision when I'm ready.

"While we're going through this process, it's Mike White's opportunity to take advantage of every last play he gets. I'm going to leave it at that. We're going to figure it out as we go."

Saleh refused to suggest what White might be able to do in order to secure the starting spot on a fill-time basis, continuing to publicly back Wilson.

"Mike's got an opportunity to stack another great day up this week," he added. "When we feel like Zach is ready to roll, he's going to roll."

Indianapolis Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday defended the decision not to use any of their three timeouts earlier in Monday's 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Saturday, who never coached at the pro or college level prior to his shock appointment by owner Jim Irsay earlier this month, led the Colts for the third time in the narrow defeat, slipping to a 1-2 record.

But Saturday only used the Colts' first timeout on fourth down with 30 seconds remaining before quarterback Matt Ryan threw an incomplete pass to the left sideline for Parris Campbell on fourth-and-3.

Ryan had scrambled for a run on the second-and-17 of the final drive but dived short of the first-down line, yet the Colts played quickly on third-and-3 with running back Jonathan Taylor bottled up before the timeout was called.

"I thought we had plenty of time," Saturday told reporters. "We had plenty of timeouts, so I wasn't too concerned.

"This wasn't a press for time, we just didn't make enough plays."

Ryan, who admitted he thought he was closer to the first-down line on his run, backed Saturday's decision not to call an earlier timeout.

"I don’t mind the call going with some tempo, trying to get that first and probably bang a timeout after that first," he said.

"We didn’t get it, then have to take that timeout on the fourth down call. Credit to them, they did a good job on jumping inside, we had some in-breaking routes.

"It's disappointing. It really is, I think the effort is good, but our execution just hasn’t been good enough."

Ryan was pressured on 44 per cent of dropbacks, which was the highest in a game this season.

The win means the Colts are 4-7-1 overall and second in the AFC South behind the 7-4 Tennessee Titans.

The Steelers improved to 4-7 but remain last in the AFC North. Rookie Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett enjoyed his third straight game without a turnover, completing 20 of 28 passes for 174 yards.

"He's getting better every week, he's a competitor, he's smart but there's still a lot of meat on the bone," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said about Pickett.

"I've always said he's good enough and we're good enough to win while that happens. We acknowledge he's very much in development."