West Ham . Bubbles Blown

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West Ham's European adventure was brought to an end before it had really begun - by a 35-year-old who used to play for Barnsley.

The Hammers crashed to their first defeat at the London Stadium, a humiliating 1-0 Europa League play-off loss to Astra Giurgiu, thanks to a goal from former Tykes and West Brom midfielder Filipe Teixeira.

It meant a 2-1 aggregate defeat to the team currently 11th in Romanian Liga 1, and no place in the group stage for Slaven Bilic's side who would not even have had to play the play-off match had they beaten Stoke on the final day of last season.

Teixeira left England in 2010 on the back of an injury-hit couple of years in the midlands and Yorkshire, but returned to score the first competitive goal against the Hammers in their new home.

A desperately disappointing evening had begun on a high note with West Ham announcing the signing of young Swiss midfielder Edimilson Fernandes from FC Sion, but once again it was evident a striker is what they desperately need.

Manchester City's Wilfried Bony and Simone Zaza of Juventus remain targets but, in the meantime, rookie Argentine forward Jonathan Calleri was handed the responsibility in attack.

But the one-on-one Calleri missed in the dying seconds against Bournemouth on Sunday may have still been playing on his mind when Reece Burke played him through early on, the ball getting stuck under his feet allowing Astra keeper Silviu Lung to save

Pedro Obiang also saw a low 25-yard drive tipped around the post by Lung, but it was uninspiring stuff from the Hammers.

They paid the price on the stroke of half-time when Sam Byram's crossfield ball gave Burke too much to do and left both Hammers full-backs hopelessly out of position.

Astra defender Cristian Sapunaru beat Burke to the ball and it broke to Daniel Niculae, who played a simple square pass to Teixeira as he wandered through a huge gap in West Ham's defence.

With Byram desperately trying to make up the ground Teixeira was able to stride into the penalty area and slide the ball past Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

For the first time - and after just two-and-a-half competitive matches - boos rang around the former Olympic Stadium as the half-time whistle was blown.

West Ham went on the attack after the break but Lung performed heroics, keeping out headers from Angelo Ogbonna and Calleri while a diving Michail Antonio could not guide in Byram's vicious cross.

Sub Ashley Fletcher had a valid penalty claim waved away after he was bundled to the ground by Teixeira and was then denied by the leg of Lung from all of five yards out.

Lung palmed away Enner Valencia's free-kick and tipped Fletcher's shot wide, while Antonio did beat the visiting keeper after racing clear only for play to be hauled back for a foul.

The beleaguered Bilic resorted to playing centre-half James Collins in attack, but Astra survived five minutes of injury time as West Ham bowed out of Europe with a whimper.

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Bilic fumes at West Ham exit - - (August 26 2016)

Simone Zaza will arrive too late to salvage West Ham's European dream after they were dumped out by Astra Giurgiu.

For the second year running, the Romanian side ended West Ham's Europa League adventure in the qualifying rounds, and to rub salt in the wounds inflicted their first defeat at the London Stadium.

A goal from 35-year-old former Barnsley and West Brom midfielder Filipe Teixeira secured a 1-0 victory for the team currently 11th in Romanian Liga 1.

It meant a 2-1 aggregate defeat and no place in the group stage for Slaven Bilic's side.

Italy striker Zaza is close to joining from Juventus, with boss Bilic revealing: "I don't know the details, but we were in talks and it was quite close. I would love it to happen."

But in the meantime, Bilic was left frustrated and angry as the Hammers exited the competition before it had even really begun.

He added: "We said before that this was one of most important games for us this year. It was like a final that we had to win to go through, so the disappointment is massive.

"I'm angry and frustrated, but I'm also disappointed because we really wanted to go through. That's why we tried so hard last season, to get this opportunity.

"We wanted to play in Europe, we came so close and we wanted to have that experience as a club, a club that is not often in Europe."

A desperate evening had begun on a high note with West Ham announcing the signing of young Swiss midfielder Edimilson Fernandes from FC Sion, but once again it was evident a striker is what they desperately need.

Instead, it was left to rookie Argentinian forward Jonathan Calleri, then substitute Ashley Fletcher and, by the end, centre-half James Collins to try, and ultimately fail, to break down the visitors.

They paid the price for an uninspiring first half on the stroke of half-time when Sam Byram's cross-field ball gave Reece Burke too much to do and left both Hammers full-backs hopelessly out of position.

Teixeira was able to stride into the penalty area and slide the ball past Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

Astra keeper Silviu Lung was kept busy, but by no means under siege, as West Ham huffed and puffed to no avail after the break.

Jubilant Astra coach Marius Sumudica, who only returned from a UEFA ban for betting on matches in last week's home leg, beamed: "It was our evening.

"We were also very lucky, but in football you need a bit of luck to win and luck is on the side of the strong ones.

"This is one of the three best days in my life, pretty much the same level as when my children were born - because I knew they were mine."