Juve lose to Cagliari as Ronaldo’s Golden Boot hopes fade

The 35-year-old Portuguese attacker is on 31 goals for the season, four behind Lazio’s Ciro Immobile with only a home league game against fifth-placed AS Roma left to play.

* Lazio forward Ciro Immobile moved closed to the Serie A goalscoring record for a single season when he was on target in the 2-0 win over relegated Brescia on Wednesday (Jul 29).

* Veteran AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice and Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a penalty as they won 4-1 at Sampdoria on Wednesday to stay unbeaten since the Serie A season restarted.

* World number one Ash Barty will skip this summer’s US Open and the tournament proceeding it in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

* Brighton & Hove Albion have bolstered their backline with the capture of Netherlands defender Joel Veltman from Ajax Amsterdam, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday. The 28-year-old, who can play at either centre back or right back, has signed a three-year contract and leaves Ajax after more than 200 appearances since his debut in 2012.

* Former Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez said on Wednesday (Jul 29) that he had recovered from the coronavirus, returned home and resumed his duties as Qatari side Al-Sadd’s head coach.

* Brighton signed Netherlands defender Joel Veltman from Ajax for an undisclosed fee on Wednesday (Jul 29). Veltman agreed a three-year contract with the Premier League side.

* Early goals from Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Marcondes settled Brentford nerves and laid the platform for a 3-1 victory over Swansea City on Wednesday (Jul 29) to seal a place in the English Championship playoff final next week.

* This year’s Italian Formula One Grand Prix at Monza, a highlight of the calendar for diehard Ferrari fans, will be held without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers said on Wednesday (Jul 29). The Italian Grand Prix website said tickets would be fully refunded.

* Manchester City are close to agreeing a deal to sign Valencia winger Ferran Torres for an initial fee of 20.9 million pounds (US$27.13 million), British media reported on Wednesday (Jul 29). Torres, 20, scored six goals and grabbed eight assists for Valencia in all competitions this season as they finished ninth in Spain’s La Liga.

* No Turkish teams will be relegated from the Superlig after a season impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, Turkish Football Federation chairman Nihat Ozdemir said on Wednesday.

* Former champions Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams have all entered next month’s Western & Southern Open in New York, which will serve as a tune-up for the US Open, tournament organisers said on Wednesday (Jul 29). Organisers of the Aug 20-28 event, which was relocated from Cincinnati this year because of COVID-19, said defending champions Daniil Medvedev and Madison Keys are also among the initial entries.

* A player in Sevilla’s first team squad has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their Europa League last-16 tie against AS Roma, the La Liga club announced on Wednesday.

* The Community Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser to the Premier League season, will take place at Wembley on Aug. 29, England’s Football Association (FA) said on Wednesday. Premier League champions Liverpool will face either Arsenal or Chelsea, who meet in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

* Badminton’s prestigious China and Japan Opens were cancelled on Wednesday (Jul 29) by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) as it announced that four September tournaments in Asia would not be played because of the coronavirus pandemic.