Football news

Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal thanked Arjen Robben for booking his side's place in the final of the German Cup.

The Holland winger provided the highlight of a keenly-contested semi-final at Schalke on Wednesday night with his goal midway through the second half of extra-time taking Bayern into the May 15 final, where they will meet holders Werder Bremen.

And Van Gaal paid tribute to Robben's moment of brilliance which spared his team the prospect of a penalty shoot-out at the Arena AufSchalke.

"Robben is incredible," he said. "To score such a goal at such a time is top class."

Sullivan firmly behind Zola

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan insists the club remain "100 per cent behind" manager Gianfranco Zola as the Hammers battle for Premier League survival.

Sullivan, along with fellow co-owner David Gold and vice-chairman Karren Brady, met the Italian after Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Wolves and has promised there will be no knee-jerk reaction from the board.

Quoted in The Guardian, Sullivan said: "We're 100 per cent behind the manager. There will be no changes. We all had a chat with him after the game to see how he felt about things."

We can play without fear - Allardyce

Sam Allardyce believes Blackburn can afford to "relax" ahead of Sunday's east Lancashire derby at Burnley after virtually guaranteeing their Premier League survival with a 2-1 victory over Birmingham on Wednesday.

"The victory was the most important thing and we've got that, leaving us with a very good opportunity to play our local rivals on Sunday with less fear," the Blackburn boss said.

"We can go there, relax, just try and enjoy the game and see if we can get a result."

No Balotelli bid says Galliani

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has rejected reports that his club are interested in signing Inter striker Mario Balotelli.

The out-of-favour Balotelli sparked more controversy earlier this week when he accepted and then tried on a Milan shirt while being set up on Italian TV show Striscia la Notizia.

As a self-proclaimed Milan fan, there have been reports that Balotelli would accept a move to the Rossoneri but Galliani said: "I will answer all the questions in the world except those regarding Balotelli, who is not our thing.

"We haven't signed him. He still has three years left on his contract with Inter.

"Let's not joke about this. We have nothing to do with this story."

Real to step up Mourinho chase

Real Madrid are reportedly preparing an offer for Inter boss Jose Mourinho as they intend to part ways with Manuel Pellegrini in the summer, according to a report in Catalan newspaper Sport.

Mourinho has long been president Florentino Perez's favourite for the job even if his view is different from that of the club.

Perez tried to get Mourinho last summer but failed as the former Chelsea manager used Madrid's interest to improve his existing contract at Inter.

Sport reported that Perez is desperate to get his man ahead of next season and is prepared to offer Mourinho a salary worth €11m after tax, excluding bonuses, which are said to be around €1.5m for every title won.

Celtic sack Mowbray after St Mirren loss

Celtic sacked Tony Mowbray as their manager yesterday, the Scottish Premier League side announced following the club's shock 4-0 loss to St Mirren on Wednesday.

Former Celtic captain Neil Lennon has been promoted from his post as a coach to be put in temporary charge on a game by game basis, starting with tomorrow's home league match against Kilmarnock at Parkhead.

Celtic's thrashing by the Buddies left them 10 points behind arch-rivals and leaders Rangers and was their heaviest defeat outside of an Old Firm match in 30 years.

Injuries mounting for busy Villa

Martin O'Neill admits Aston Villa's hectic fixture list is taking its toll as he sweats on the fitness of a quartet of key players ahead of tomorrow's clash at Chelsea.

Leading scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor is already sidelined with a foot injury while fellow striker Emile Heskey, midfielder James Milner and defender Richard Dunne are all to have scans to determine the extent of their Achilles tendon injuries.

Heskey and Milner had to be substituted during Wednesday's 1-1 home draw with revitalised Sunderland - another dent to Villa's hopes of securing a Champions League spot.

O'Neill said: "It's down to the number of games we've played. I think overall we've been really lucky with injuries but the games are definitely taking their toll."