:00:00. > :00:00.separately on BBC Breakfast. Now on BBC One it's time for
:00:00. > :00:11.Good evening. BBC One it's time for the
:00:12. > :00:13.Northern Ireland are through to the last 16
:00:14. > :00:15.of the European Football Championships.
:00:16. > :00:19.That's despite the team's 1-0 defeat by Germany earlier this evening,
:00:20. > :00:22.and comes thanks to a win within the last hour by Turkey
:00:23. > :00:29.These were the scenes among Northern Ireland fans
:00:30. > :00:35.in Paris tonight shortly after the news came through.
:00:36. > :00:38.We're joined now from the French capital by BBC
:00:39. > :00:48.It's been a real night of drama here in Paris.
:00:49. > :00:51.Northern Ireland may have lost to the world champions,
:00:52. > :00:55.but they will join them in the knockout stages of Euro 2016
:00:56. > :00:59.as one of the best third-place finishers in the group stages.
:01:00. > :01:04.That's because tonight Turkey beat Czech Republic 2-0.
:01:05. > :01:07.It was a very nervous wait for the team and fans,
:01:08. > :01:10.but these goals ensure that Northern Ireland's win
:01:11. > :01:14.against Ukraine and the narrow losses to Poland and tonight
:01:15. > :01:17.to Germany have been enough to make it through to the next
:01:18. > :01:23.This evening here at the Parc des Princes, Northern Ireland
:01:24. > :01:27.were absolutely out on their feet after a gutsy display -
:01:28. > :01:30.restricting Germany to a 1-0 defeat, and it was largely thanks
:01:31. > :01:49.Against the reigning world champions it was never going to be easy. And
:01:50. > :01:52.with golfer Rory McIlroy amongst the thousands of supporters, Northern
:01:53. > :01:57.Ireland couldn't possibly have imagined it would be quite as tough
:01:58. > :02:02.as this. The Germans opened up the Northern Ireland defence time and
:02:03. > :02:05.time again in the first half, but goalkeeper Michael McGovern kept his
:02:06. > :02:10.side in the game. Northern Ireland rode their luck at times as well.
:02:11. > :02:18.Eventually the German breakthrough came. Gomez steering the ball home
:02:19. > :02:25.after half an hour. It was a deserved lead and it could have been
:02:26. > :02:31.2-0 shortly after, but Thomas Muller's shot crashed off the
:02:32. > :02:34.woodwork. Remarkably it was only 1-0 at half-time and the German
:02:35. > :02:45.onslaught continued. But McGovern was unbeatable. It was a superb
:02:46. > :02:51.second-half defensive display. And an inspired performance by Northern
:02:52. > :02:56.Ireland's number one. I wouldn't say it was a real classic, but the one
:02:57. > :03:05.in the second half from Ozil and then the header was great. We went
:03:06. > :03:10.1-0 behind and I knew we had to keep in the game because goal difference
:03:11. > :03:13.would come into it. How much did you enjoy your moment on the big stage
:03:14. > :03:20.tonight? You looked like you thrived. Not just a night, I've
:03:21. > :03:24.enjoyed everything, the first two games, the whole experience has been
:03:25. > :03:31.amazing. Just wanted to continue so I can play again. What did your
:03:32. > :03:36.opposite number say? Just well done and then we swapped shirts. He's an
:03:37. > :03:42.amazing goalkeeper and I look up to him so it was nice to get his shirt.
:03:43. > :03:45.Despite defeat, the manager was thrilled with his team's
:03:46. > :03:49.performance. Let's be honest, playing the best team in the world
:03:50. > :03:54.internationally and we knew it would be difficult. I thought we started
:03:55. > :03:58.quite well although we consume did opportunities and Michael had to
:03:59. > :04:03.make three great early saves. But we stuck at it having gone behind. The
:04:04. > :04:08.players had one word to describe their goalkeeper's night.
:04:09. > :04:12.Unbelievable, just unbelievable performance. He was pulling off
:04:13. > :04:17.saves he had no right to pull off and kept us in it, kept us
:04:18. > :04:24.believing. Kept us going, absolutely fantastic. We needed him. Against
:04:25. > :04:29.teams like that, they are going to create chances, they are top, top
:04:30. > :04:35.players. First half maybe we didn't get close enough. If we get three we
:04:36. > :04:40.have a lot to thank him for. If they ever get through us, we have the
:04:41. > :04:44.belief he is there. Some players performances seem to be improving
:04:45. > :04:49.with each game. They are obviously a world-class team, they got in behind
:04:50. > :04:53.as a few times and got a number of opportunities, but Mickey was always
:04:54. > :04:58.there to stop them. The Northern Ireland fans sang from start to
:04:59. > :05:03.finish and continued for half an hour after the match. Now they have
:05:04. > :05:08.even more to celebrate. In the last 16 it looks likely that
:05:09. > :05:13.Northern Ireland will play either France or Wales this weekend. And a
:05:14. > :05:16.few moments ago this was the reaction of the Northern Ireland
:05:17. > :05:22.manager Michael O'Neill to qualifying for the knockout stages.
:05:23. > :05:25.If I was picking the team we would have the best chance against it
:05:26. > :05:30.would be Wales. We played them in March and we were unlucky not to win
:05:31. > :05:34.in Cardiff. We'll see what comes out after the final group game is
:05:35. > :05:38.tomorrow. We're just delighted that we're still in the tournament with
:05:39. > :05:47.another game to look forward to. We'll be ready to play whoever on
:05:48. > :05:51.Sunday. I'm joined by former Northern Ireland international John
:05:52. > :05:58.O'Neill. Very happy man like all Northern Ireland. Your reaction?
:05:59. > :06:01.Simply delighted. We've waited 30 years for this, the players were
:06:02. > :06:05.fantastic, the manager has been brilliant and the supporters were
:06:06. > :06:10.amazing. What about a night's performance? Beaten but a tremendous
:06:11. > :06:15.display. They played really, really well. They defended superbly.
:06:16. > :06:19.Michael McGovern put in a performance which is as good as
:06:20. > :06:24.anything that -- as anything I've ever seen since Pat Jennings against
:06:25. > :06:28.Brazil in Mexico. We kept it down to one goal. We were standing here for
:06:29. > :06:33.half an hour in the car park praying for Turkey to score and then for
:06:34. > :06:37.them not to score any more! It was amazing and the fans half an hour
:06:38. > :06:47.after the game was over worse still shouting Will Grigg's on fire. Who
:06:48. > :06:51.would you like to see? I'd love to see France. It's a great experience
:06:52. > :06:56.when you play the host nation, like we did in Spain in 1982. Michael
:06:57. > :06:59.O'Neill might have a different take, he might think we'd have a better
:07:00. > :07:06.chance of beating Wales, but I'm not so sure. A special night for
:07:07. > :07:14.Northern Ireland. We can now join Mark Stimson, who's been following
:07:15. > :07:18.the fans. He's at the Eiffel Tower. You'd think Northern Ireland had
:07:19. > :07:22.just won the euro is the way the fans are celebrating in the French
:07:23. > :07:27.capital tonight. The Eiffel Tower may look red, but they are painting
:07:28. > :07:31.the town green as we speak. The French authorities even had problems
:07:32. > :07:37.getting the fans to leave the fan zone, they were in such good form.
:07:38. > :07:41.And why not. They've spent a lot of money, thousands of pounds in some
:07:42. > :07:44.cases, following their team around the country and they wanted to
:07:45. > :07:52.savour the moment. It's been a dramatic night with highs and lows,
:07:53. > :07:54.the defeat earlier and the good news later.
:07:55. > :07:56.I've been speaking to those fans. It was a bittersweet night for the
:07:57. > :08:08.Northern Ireland fans. Down but not out. And all the other teams have
:08:09. > :08:15.started singing their songs. But what about the match? What was
:08:16. > :08:20.the fans's verdict on the 1-0 defeat by Germany? We enjoyed the match. It
:08:21. > :08:23.could have been better, it could have been worse. After the first
:08:24. > :08:29.half, it could have been four or five in the first and another 45 in
:08:30. > :08:35.the second so 1-0 is a good result. You're playing the World champions!
:08:36. > :08:39.Magic. It could have been worse. The goal difference is the important
:08:40. > :08:43.thing. We've only lost 1-0 so we have a good chance of going through.
:08:44. > :08:49.Michael McGovern kept us in the game and kept the score down. It could
:08:50. > :08:55.have been three or four. I have to get back for work. If it was a day
:08:56. > :08:59.trip, I'd be back. What was the atmosphere like in the ground?
:09:00. > :09:06.Powerful, unbelievable in all three games. We stayed for an hour
:09:07. > :09:12.afterwards singing. Couldn't get us out, not going home! The whole
:09:13. > :09:18.atmosphere has been fantastic. I'm going home tomorrow, but I might
:09:19. > :09:22.come back! We've got blood, we got passion, we've got heart. Where the
:09:23. > :09:29.only nation in this condition that's got it. We are the green and white
:09:30. > :09:35.army. Bring it on. We are bringing it home! After two weeks in France,
:09:36. > :09:43.the Northern Ireland dream is still very much alive.
:09:44. > :09:47.Among the supporters at the match tonight was Sinn Fein's Martin
:09:48. > :09:52.McGuinness, the Debbie de First Minister. He took his seat around
:09:53. > :09:57.eight minutes into the match against France. -- deputy. He arrived after
:09:58. > :10:02.the national anthems. I spoke to him before the game and I asked him was
:10:03. > :10:08.he not more naturally a Republic of Ireland supporter. Some cynics might
:10:09. > :10:13.say his attendance was gesture politics. This was his response. I
:10:14. > :10:19.could easily have stayed at home and not given any recognition to Michael
:10:20. > :10:24.O'Neill 's mag achievements, and the team. I look at a group of young man
:10:25. > :10:27.enjoying themselves and whose livelihood is playing professional
:10:28. > :10:31.soccer and I see them playing on the pitch and they are playing their
:10:32. > :10:35.heart out. For themselves because they are on a world stage, but also
:10:36. > :10:43.for their communities. That's what it's all about. Celebrating fans
:10:44. > :10:49.earlier, not going home. Realistically many will have to go
:10:50. > :10:54.home, but reluctantly so. Yes. In theory, but I dare say a lot of fans
:10:55. > :10:59.are phoning home tonight and saying, can I? Would you mind? Can I come
:11:00. > :11:03.home next week instead? I know a few journalists will have to make that
:11:04. > :11:08.phone call as well. The good news for the fans is that if, as seems
:11:09. > :11:12.likely, it will be France in Lil, they've been there before. There
:11:13. > :11:17.will be no surprises, they could probably books the same hotels. Yes,
:11:18. > :11:29.they will be tired and out of pocket, but we are almost into week
:11:30. > :11:32.three of the tournament so I dare say for a lot of those fans they
:11:33. > :11:35.might go home break, but they will probably be fluent in French by the
:11:36. > :11:37.end of it! I hope they have a change of socks at least. Enjoy the rest of
:11:38. > :11:39.the evening. Here at home, many Northern Ireland
:11:40. > :11:41.supporters watched the game in fan zones in places likes Lisburn,
:11:42. > :11:44.Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne. The biggest gathering was in
:11:45. > :11:59.the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. Please make your way over... They
:12:00. > :12:04.came in their thousands, the green and white army marched into Titanic
:12:05. > :12:14.Belfast with flags and hopes held high, but there was agony during the
:12:15. > :12:18.match. By half-time, with Germany holding that 1-0 lead, you might
:12:19. > :12:23.think spirits might have flagged at the various sites where supporters
:12:24. > :12:30.had gathered, but not a bit of it. We are laughing! We're going to win
:12:31. > :12:36.2-1. We're playing the World champions say we need to step it up.
:12:37. > :12:44.We'll be right. And there was plenty to keep the supporters on edge in
:12:45. > :12:46.the second half. But when the final whistle blew, wherever they were
:12:47. > :12:54.watching, the fans were still smiling. The Republic tomorrow. I
:12:55. > :13:01.can't see Sweden beating Belgium so I think we're three. Great
:13:02. > :13:11.goalkeeping from Michael McGovern. A 1-0 defeat... Well done, Northern
:13:12. > :13:15.Ireland. The green and white army keeping the dream alive.
:13:16. > :13:17.I think it will be a long night! There have been serious concerns
:13:18. > :13:20.about the state of the pitch in Lille for the Republic's crucial
:13:21. > :13:23.game against Italy tomorrow. Work's been going on all day
:13:24. > :13:25.to try to dry it out The Republic weren't able to train
:13:26. > :13:31.at the ground today and had We'll have the build-up to the match
:13:32. > :13:36.on tomorrow evening's The police say a significant
:13:37. > :13:45.explosives find in north Belfast shows that when people provide them
:13:46. > :13:48.with information, it helps A quantity of what's believed to be
:13:49. > :13:54.semtex was uncovered at a block of flats in the New Lodge yesterday
:13:55. > :14:07.as a result of a tip-off Army bomb disposal experts were
:14:08. > :14:14.called to the scene at Maeve house last night. Semtex is a highly
:14:15. > :14:19.dangerous plastic explosive, almost 3.5 lbs of it were found. It's said
:14:20. > :14:23.this is enough to make three under car booby-traps. Police say they
:14:24. > :14:26.received a tip-off from a member of the public and have thanked
:14:27. > :14:29.residents that their cooperation. Two years ago a similar quantity of
:14:30. > :14:36.explosives was found in a cupboard in the same building. Speaking about
:14:37. > :14:39.this latest seizure, the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
:14:40. > :14:43.said he was hugely relieved and delighted that the explosives had
:14:44. > :14:46.been made safe. The Police Federation of Northern Ireland says
:14:47. > :14:48.it believes the explosives would have been used to target members of
:14:49. > :14:50.the security forces. The Home Secretary says it's
:14:51. > :14:54.inconceivable there won't be any changes to arrangements
:14:55. > :14:56.at the border if the UK pulls out Theresa May visited Northern Ireland
:14:57. > :15:16.today to campaign for a Remain vote If we just think about it, if we are
:15:17. > :15:20.out of the European Union, with tariffs on exporting goods into the
:15:21. > :15:23.EU, there would have to be something to recognise that between the
:15:24. > :15:28.Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. If you pulled out of the EU
:15:29. > :15:31.and came out of free movement, how could you have a situation where
:15:32. > :15:34.there was an open border with a country who was in the EU and had
:15:35. > :15:36.access to free movement? The DUP says the cost of taking out
:15:37. > :15:39.a big Vote Leave advertisement in the Metro newspaper in London
:15:40. > :15:42.is a "price worth paying". The DUP's referendum message
:15:43. > :15:44.was wrapped around today's edition of the tabloid paper,
:15:45. > :15:46.which is distributed free at tube stations and other
:15:47. > :15:58.places around the city. We are a national party. We are the
:15:59. > :16:03.fourth largest party in the House of Commons and this is a national
:16:04. > :16:07.campaign. Northern Ireland has been on the periphery of this campaign,
:16:08. > :16:13.as far as the DUP has been concerned, we've been a central
:16:14. > :16:19.player in the Leave campaign. It is conceivable to take that hurt in
:16:20. > :16:23.that particular publication and to take it in the ones in Northern
:16:24. > :16:27.Ireland. There was some rain around today, but overall not a bad day.
:16:28. > :16:32.Let's find out the forecast over the next few days.
:16:33. > :16:37.We do have one or two scattered showers tonight, but generally for
:16:38. > :16:42.many of us it is a dry and mild one with temperatures typically falling
:16:43. > :16:46.to about ten or 11 degrees. As we get into tomorrow, very little will
:16:47. > :16:50.change. It will be largely dry with a lot of cloud, but that will break
:16:51. > :16:55.and there will be sunshine. At times that cloud will be thick enough to
:16:56. > :16:59.give one or two isolated showers. Pushing east in the morning,
:17:00. > :17:08.brightening behind it. There will be scattered showers coming in across
:17:09. > :17:11.the south of Wales, south-west England and a few of those will push
:17:12. > :17:13.further east through the day and we could see a touch of thunder as
:17:14. > :17:17.well. Otherwise largely dry picture. More sunny spells the further north
:17:18. > :17:19.you are with scattered showers. And. Although there will also be
:17:20. > :17:23.scattered showers in Northern Ireland, there will be sunny gaps
:17:24. > :17:28.and it will feel warm in the sunshine. Temperatures reaching 21
:17:29. > :17:32.degrees. Temperatures will top out at 18 or 19 for us tomorrow. Maybe
:17:33. > :17:37.20 in the sunshine. Tomorrow evening, if you're heading to
:17:38. > :17:43.Belfast for the Republic of Ireland game, we're expecting it to be dry
:17:44. > :17:47.and warm. As for Thursday, it will get off to a promising start. Dry
:17:48. > :17:51.with sunshine, but through the day the clouds will push in from the
:17:52. > :17:55.Atlantic and they will bring rain, some of which may be heavy.
:17:56. > :18:01.Temperatures won't suffer. We'll still reach 18 or 19 degrees.
:18:02. > :18:05.Towards the end of the week, we always have some scattered showers
:18:06. > :18:09.and a few of them could be heavy. But it's not a complete wash-out,
:18:10. > :18:13.there will be some sunshine and temperatures will stay in the high
:18:14. > :18:17.games. We'll keep you up-to-date. For now, good night.
:18:18. > :18:21.Our next BBC Newsline is at 6.25am during Breakfast here on BBC One.
:18:22. > :18:24.You can also keep updated with News Online.