The legal restrictions on France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema over his alleged involvement in a sex tape case have been partially lifted, allowing him to contact international teammate Mathieu Valbuena, a judiciary source said Thursday.

The investigating magistrate in the case ruled that the legal constraints can be removed, but prosecutors immediately appealed against the decision, with the case to be heard before a court in Versailles, outside Paris on March 4.

Cristiano Ronaldo ended his away scoring drought with an impressive second-half goal as Real Madrid won 2-0 at Roma on Wednesday in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League.

The victory also marked a successful debut for Zinedine Zidane as Madrid's manager in the elite competition, with the 10-time champion taking a big step toward the quarterfinals.

Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo expressed his sadness on Thursday at the condition of Michael Schumacher, two years after the former Formula One champion was seriously injured in a skiing accident.

Montezemolo was asked if he had any news about Schumacher, who sustained severe head injuries in France in December 2013 and is being cared for at his home in Switzerland.

Julian Draxler scored two classy goals to lead Wolfsburg to a 3-2 away win over Champions League newcomer AA Ghent in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.

At 22, Draxler confirmed himself as the new creative force of a team which had been struggling, scoring just before and just after halftime in the first leg match.

Even as Red Bull revealed new livery and talked of a new era for the Formula One season, a reminder of last season's struggles wasn't far away.

It was right next to team principal Christian Horner in an east London warehouse.

Manny Pacquiao's latest disparaging comments about gays have cost him a contract with Nike.

It may not be the only endorsement Pacquiao loses, even as he and promoter Bob Arum scramble to contain the damage done by a television interview in the Philippines in which the boxer said gay people "are worse than animals."

Last year there was hardly any action in the days leading up to the NBA's trading deadline, yet a staggering avalanche of deals were consummated.

When the dust settled, 12 trades involving 39 players clogged the league's approval process for hours after the deadline passed. So even though this week has been fairly quiet, there is still time leading into final buzzer on Thursday afternoon U.S. time.

Formula One team Manor has appointed Indonesia's Rio Haryanto as one of its race drivers for the coming season.

The 23-year-old Haryanto will become the first Indonesian to compete in F1 and joins Germany's Pascal Wehrlein in an all-rookie lineup for the season that begins in Melbourne, Australia, on March 20.

UEFA on Wednesday charged Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Dmitry Tarasov with improper conduct after he stripped off to reveal a t-shirt supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin in a politically charged gesture after a match in Turkey.

Tarasov revealed the t-shirt of Putin wearing a Navy cap above the words "the most polite president" in Russian after his team's 2-0 Europa League loss against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Tuesday, as Moscow and Ankara are locked in a fierce dispute following the downing of a Russian fighter jet last year.

Rio Ferdinand has said comments from Cristiano Ronaldo that the Portuguese forward did not speak to him during Manchester United's Champions League-winning season were "unbelievable".

Both Ronaldo and the now retired Ferdinand were key players for United when the Old Trafford club completed a Premier League and Champions League double in the 2007/08 season.