Tottenham was among nine teams to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League on Thursday after beating Partizan Belgrade 1-0 in a match that was briefly suspended because of three separate pitch invasions.

Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europe's secondary competition.

A senior official says Galatasaray has sacked manager Cesare Prandelli following the side's elimination from European competition.

Galatasaray deputy president Abdurrahim Albayrak told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency Thursday that the club decided to part ways with Prandelli a day after the club's 2-0 loss to Anderlecht that eliminated the team from the Champions League. Galatasaray also failed to qualify for the Europa League.

UEFA has charged Basel after fans ran onto the pitch and approached Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo during a Champions League match.

Five spectators encroached on the pitch from different sections of the St-Jakob Park stadium in the 89th minute of Madrid's 1-0 win on Wednesday.

As the world of cricket reels from the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, it's hard to imagine that less than 40 years ago the first player to wear a full helmet during a cricket test match was booed by the crowd for his apparent cowardice.

On that day in 1978, Australian left-hander Graham Yallop walked to the crease in Barbados to a backdrop of jeers, wearing an improvised motorcycle helmet — complete with plastic visor — to protect him from the short-pitch bowling by the West Indies' fearsome pacemen.

Brazil great Pele, 74, was on Thursday taken into a special care unit in a Sao Paulo hospital after his health worsened, three days after being admitted with a urinary infection, the hospital confirmed.

"Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) remains in hospital. To receive the best care he was transferred in order to be monitored in a special care unit," read a statement released by the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo.

Bastia's Brazilian striker Brandao was on Thursday jailed for a month and fined 20,000 euros ($25,000) for headbutting Paris Saint-Germain's Thiago Motta.

The President of the Paris court, however, implied the 34-year-old could benefit from a reduced sentencing and not a prison stay.

Phillip Hughes won admirers across the cricket spectrum, from the most elite players to the everyday fan for an unorthodox batting style honed on the family banana plantation and a never-give-in attitude despite being dropped a handful of times from Australia's test team.

Hughes died on Thursday, two days after undergoing emergency surgery for a massive brain bleed that occurred after he was struck on the head by a cricket ball in a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was 25, just three days short of his next birthday.

Ludogorets scored a late equalizer to hold Liverpool to a 2-2 draw on Wednesday that ended the home side's hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Dani Abalo opened the scoring for Ludogorets in the third minute, pouncing on the rebound after Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet failed to control Marcelinho's shot from the edge of the box.

Yaya Sanogo ended his 15-month wait to score for Arsenal on Wednesday by helping the London club beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 and qualify for the Champions League knockout phase for the 15th successive season.

However, victory came at a cost to a side that has struggled recently in the Premier League. Captain Mikel Arteta was forced off with a calf problem that manager Arsene Wenger said "looks quite serious." Midfielder Jack Wilshere was already sidelined and will discover on Thursday if his requires ankle surgery.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half goal helped Real Madrid beat Basel 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, and tie a club record with a 15th straight win.

Ronaldo's 71st career goal in the Champions League, in his 108th match, also equaled the previous competition scoring record long held by Madrid great Raul Gonzalez.