LONDON-- Romanians Astra handed West Ham United their first competitive defeat at the London Stadium as Slaven Bilic's team were beaten in the Europa League playoffs on Thursday.
BERNE-- Four-times European champions Ajax missed out on the Champions League group stage after losing 4-1 to Rostov as Manchester City and Borussia Moenchengladbach eased through the playoffs on Wednesday.
LONDON-- Premier League West Bromwich Albion and Watford were knocked out in the League Cup second round by lower-league opponents on Tuesday as a strong Liverpool side crushed championship Burton Albion 5-0.
SOUTHAMPTON - England beat Pakistan by 44 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method in a rain-affected first one-day international in Southampton on Wednesday.
RIO DE JANEIRO- - As the Olympic hoardings are taken down in Rio de Janeiro and the Carnival atmosphere subsides, there is relief that cash-strapped Brazil avoided making a mess of the Games but also a nagging suspicion it did not make the most of them either.
