he's a bigger hero now after scoring the goal which has put ivory coast in the africa cup of nations a shot which they looped over the goalkeeper into the back of the net. he made his first start of the tournament. he's been recovering from injury. so did brighton simon dhingra and they both made a real difference. ivory coast suddenly looked like a brilliant team just a couple of weeks after sacking their manager. meanwhile, nigeria needed a penalty shootout to make it to the final after drama right on 90 minutes. victor osman thought he made it 2-0 victor osman thought he made it 2—0 for the super eagles right at the end of the game but the video assistant ref vee spot add foul in the build—up all the way in the nigeria penalty area, he awarded south africa a spot kick and it was scored by mokwena. so it went all the way to the shootout and this time ronwen williams, the south africa goalkeeper and captain, couldn't be the hero. the winner was scored and in this behind me it will now be ivory coast the hosts against nigeria in the africa cup of nations final. well, upset for south

even a bigger hero after scoring the goal which has put ivory coast in the africa cup of nations finalch put the goalkeeper into the back of the net. he's been recovering from injury, so did brighton simon dhingra and they both made a real difference. ivory coast suddenly looked like a brilliant team just a couple of weeks after sacking their manager. meanwhile, nigeria needed a penalty shootout to make it to the time after drama right on 90 minutes. victor osman thought he made it 2—0 right at the end to have dame the video system referee spot add foul in the build—up all the way in the nigeria penalty area he awarded south africa a spot quick and it was scored by mokwena. so went all the way to the shootout and this time ronwen williams, the south africa goalkeeper and captain, couldn't be the hero, and this stadium behind me, it will now be ivory coast, the hosts, against nigeria in the africa cup of nations final. well, upset for south africa after going out in the cruelist way on penalties, but nigeria managerjose peseiro spoke after the victory and said his squad would enjoy thei

diagnosed with cancerjust the africa cup of nations. f the world, scoring a wonderful goal. he poked his toe out, and there were just ten minutes to play after that. on the opposing side, the nigerian striker was selling water bottles on the street to cars that were passing by as a young kid, and now he is the african player of the year and got his team to the final. those are the kind of human interesting stories —— human interest stories that make the africa cup of nations unique. it attracted a record tv audience. why do you think it is growing in popularity?— do you think it is growing in --oulari ? ., . popularity? you are right, the president _ popularity? you are right, the president said _ popularity? you are right, the president said there _ popularity? you are right, the president said there has - popularity? you are right, the president said there has been| popularity? you are right, the. president said there has been a total number of close to 2 billion viewers for this africa cup of nations. the higher sponsorship they have

he would become only the second man to win the africa cup of nations with two different countries.— win different countries. thank you very much, ian williams in - two different countries. thank you very much, ian williams in ivory . very much, ian williams in ivory coast. we will bring you the latest throughout the rest of the evening on bbc news. hosts qatar are through to the semi—finals of the asian cup after beating uzbekistan 3—2 on penalties. after it finished 1—1 over 120 minutes. the defending champions now face iran, who sent favourites japan out after a dramatic quarterfinal earlier. japan led at half—time but iran came out the better side in the second half and equalised through mohammed mohebbi. it was looking set for extra time until iran earned a very late penalty. and alireza jahanbakhsh stepped up to score it in the 96th minute... giving iran their first win over japan in19 years... and keeping them on courese for their first asian title since 1976. lewis hamilton has revealed that switching mercedes for ferrari was the hardest decision he's ever had to make. but he's10

africa cup _ about this. i have been coming to the africa cup of— about this. i have been coming to the africa cup of nationsr - about this. i have been coming to| the africa cup of nations for many years for bbc and it is definitely one of the best tournaments i have covered. in the past people were talking about favourites, there is always a competition where people talk about favourites, but in this competition most of the favourites were knocked out of the group stages. we saw teams who are traditionally seen as underdogs such as cape verde and equatorial guinea springing surprises and putting in really good results. we are now seeing in african football the gap between teams that are top teams traditionally and teams that are traditionally and teams that are traditionally seen as minnows being really closed. it shows you that football in africa is developing. the quality has been fantastic at this competition. 50 the quality has been fantastic at this competition.— the quality has been fantastic at this competition. so who is going to win? with my _ this competition. so who is going to win? with my nige

. find this competition, of the africa cup of nations-— this competition, of the africa cup ng _ of nations. and ambassador, you talk about a fighting spirit. _ of nations. and ambassador, you talk about a fighting spirit. but _ of nations. and ambassador, you talk about a fighting spirit. but who - of nations. and ambassador, you talk about a fighting spirit. but who do - about a fighting spirit. but who do you think is going to win tonight? all the ivorian people is waiting for this third of for our team. we did great to arrive at this level. and all our country, all our people, awaiting for this victory. as we say in our country, we are hosting this competition and the cup must remain in our country. we think that we will win. ., ,, in our country. we think that we will win. ., ~ , ., we think that we will win. thank you very much- — we think that we will win. thank you very much- we _ we think that we will win. thank you very much. we will _ we think that we will win. thank you very much. we will have _ we think that we will win. thank you very much. we will have more - w

and the final of the africa cup of nations is over, with hosts ivory coast having won. with fans cheering on ivory coast and nigeria at the africa cup of nations. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. welcome to the programme. we begin with israel's planned offensive in rafah. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has insisted it will go ahead — despite the fact that more than half of gaza's population has taken shelter there. he says israel will give civilians safe passage to areas they've cleared north of rafah. and he claims israel's army has killed one hamas fighter for every civilian. the army has continued to target the city with air strikes, which medical workers say killed more than a0 people in the last day alone. the armed wing of hamas says israeli strikes have also killed two hostages in the last four days, and seriously injured eight others. and a senior hamas official has threatened to halt hostage exchange negotiations if israel goes ahead with the assault on rafah. meanwhile, us president joe biden has told benjamin netanyahu israel should not proceed with the offensive

and the final of the africa cup of nations is over, with hosts ivory coast having won. ns safe passage to areas they've cleared north of rafah. and he claims israel's army has killed one hamas

a quick update from the africa cup of nations final, it is still goalless. and ia have been arrested on suspicion of rape. greater manchester police say they were called to reports of a rape in rochdale, lancashire, early on saturday evening. the suspects are in police custody and the victim is being supported by specialist officers. we will bring you more as we have it. king charles has attended church in sandringham in his first public outing since buckingham palace announced his cancer diagnosis. the king, who's 75, has thanked people for their many messages of support, which he said were "the greatest comfort". around 100 well—wishers gathered on sunday as the king walked into church. 0ur correspondent louisa pilbeam has this report. well, we saw king charles walk into sandringham church with his wife, queen camilla. they walked in and king charles waved once or twice to a crowd that had gathered. there were around 100 people who had come up to the gates here on the sandringham estate and were hoping that he might come and speak to them, so that they coul

now they are africa cup of nations title holders and this year's kings of african football.ly two british actors to be nominated for an academy award this year — for her performance in maestro, about the complicated life of the composer and conductor leonard bernstein. the film is co—written and directed by bradley cooper, who also plays bernstein. carey mulligan has been speaking to our culture editor katie razzall. oscar—nominated first for best actress in an education... it was a rehearsal. how old am i? ..then more recently for promising young woman... what's my name? hello, i'm lenny. hello, felicia. ..could it be third time lucky for carey mulligan in maestro? and while she says she doesn't choose roles with awards in mind, she's frank about how much fun it can be. it is really exciting, principally because you get to be in a room with people that you really admire, directors you want to work with, writers you want to work with. i've introduced myself to everyone the last couple of months. i've been like, "hi, jesse armstrong! "we've never met, but i'm a big fan of suc

of africa? hosts ivory coast is takes on former champions nigeria in the finals of the africa cup of nations. hello and welcome to our viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in the middle east, and israel's prime minister who is insisting he will press ahead with an offensive in the southern city of rafah, where more than half the territory's population has taken shelter. in an interview with abc news, he declared that israel is on the cusp of winning the war, and said they will give civilians safe passage to areas they've cleared north of rafah. international alarm is growing though, over the fate of those 1.5 million civilians. the uk foreign secretary lord cameron says he's "deeply concerned" about the prospect of a military offensive and again called for an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid in and hostages out. the dutch foreign minister, hanke bruins slot, said there could be "many civilian casualties", and described the situation in rafah as "very worrying". while saudi arabia warned of "very serious repercussions" if rafah was stormed. a senior hamas official has thr

huge celebrations as nigeria go through to the final of the africa cup of nations where they'll playthe icing on the cake for chelsea as they win away at villa in the fa cup. and it's heating up in the usa with footballs�* showcase game, the super bowl, just around the corner. welcome to the programme. it's been a battle for them, but nigeria are through to the final of the africa cup of nations where they'll play the hosts, ivory coast. nigeria's match was filled with drama, going to extra time

celebrations as the hosts of the africa cup of nations come from behind to lift the trophy in front ofns. and the athletics world is reeling after the death of marathon record holder kelvin kiptum atjust 24. it's the biggest match in american sport, and this year's superbowl was even bigger as more than 100 million are thought to have watched the kansas city chiefs beat the san francisco 49ers in overtime to win their third super bowl in five years. a last—gasp field goal by the chiefs made it 19—19 to send the game into overtime, and, although the 49ers edged back in front, patrick mahomes�* touchdown pass to mecole hardman to make it 25—22 to defending champions kansas city, who cemented their status as the first nfl dynasty since the new england patriots. the night was made even bigger by the prescence of taylor swift. the singer was supporting her boyfriend, travis kelce, the chiefs�* tight end. swift has brought new fans to the national football league, especially women and girls. and the celebrations continued on the field and in the locker room, and our correspondent nesta mcgre

the west african nation pulled off a victory for the ages on sunday winning the africa cup of nations third time. we have the remarkable story for you. >> the africa cup of nations tournament this year has been wildly unpredictable. we've witnessed so many upsets. for example, the top five ranked teams were all out before the quarterfinals. the only thing it seemed that we could count on is we should never be counting out the hosts, ivory coast. they have been dead and buried so many times and they find ways to continue to keep on fighting. they took on nigeria in the final. despite dominating they fell behind. nigeria going ahead late in the first half with a brilliant header. it was nigeria's first serious attempt on goal and it stunned the stadium into complete silence. however, i doubt the elephants of ief vvory coast would have panicked. the stadium erupted. but that was nothing compared to this moment. nine minutes from time when the ivory coast went ahead. this is a story within a story. he was sidelined with cancer just a couple of years ago and 18 months later he's doing this

excitement builds as ivory coast prepares to take on nigeria in the final of the africa cup of nations with kick—off in an hour. lam i am with the fans cheering on nigeria and the ivory coast in this year's africa cup of nations final. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. we begin with israel's planned offensive in rafah. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has insisted it will go ahead despite the fact that more than half of gaza's population has taken shelter there. in an interview with abc news, he said israel will give civilians safe passage to areas they've cleared north of rafah. the army has continued to target the city with air strikes, which medical workers say killed more than a0 people in the last day alone. mr netanyahu claims israel's army has killed one hamas fighter for every civilian. he also says he believes "enough" of the 132 remaining israeli hostages held in gaza are alive to justify israel continuing its offensive. the armed wing of hamas says israeli strikes have killed two of those hostages in the last four days, and seriously injured eight others. a senior hamas official h

a row, they can see this i'll get back to the final and possibly go on to win their first africa cup of nationsy've done amazingly well. to reach _ they've done amazingly well. to reach well, obviously every step of the game — reach well, obviously every step of the game they start building confidence and to get where they are, we _ confidence and to get where they are, we are proud of them and we are happy _ are, we are proud of them and we are happy. congolese and ivory coast, we are similan _ happy. congolese and ivory coast, we are similar. it's like a big family, so may— are similar. it's like a big family, so may the — are similar. it's like a big family, so may the best win and i hope it's us because, — so may the best win and i hope it's us because, you know, they're lucky. they're _ us because, you know, they're lucky. they're supposed to be out but they've — they're supposed to be out but they've been given a chance. but yeah. _ they've been given a chance. but yeah. this — they've been given a chance. but yeah, this is a game where you want to, he _ yeah, this is a game where you wan

now they are africa cup of nations title holders and this year's kings of african football.bowl, pitting the kansas city chiefs against the san francisco 49ers. our correspondent, nesta mcgregor, was outside the stadium, soaking up the atmostphere ahead of the match as fans streamed into the stadium. not long to go until kick—off at allegiant stadium. 65,000 fans are expected here today. feels like most are already inside the compound. tickets are very, very pricey for this one — this morning they were still selling for £6,500 or thereabouts. i'm going to speak to some people who were lucky enough to get tickets for the game. you don't have to tell me how much you paid. why are the chiefs are taking home the super bowl today? oh, i mean, mahomes. mahomes. we can't forget about pacheco, i love that guy, he is the fastest. we are going to take this all the way. some may differ. the 49ers fans. the favourites but the quarterback who is the underdog, why is it the 49ers today? we have the best running back in the league. - not to forget one of the best quarterbacks that came fro

and the finals of the africa cup of nations is under way in abidjan, with hosts ivory coast taking onory coast and nigeria for this year's africa cup of nations final. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. welcome to the programme. we begin with israel's planned offensive in rafah. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has insisted it will go ahead — despite the fact that more than half of gaza's population has taken shelter there. he says israel will give civilians safe passage to areas they've cleared north of rafah. and he claims israel's army has killed one hamas

now they are africa cup of nations title holders and this year's kings of african football.ef, has warned that nearly 70,000 children in western nepal need further humanitarian aid following november's devastating earthquake. more than 150 people died in what was the country's deadliest quake in eight years. unicef is appealing for more than $14 million in funding to help rebuild the lives of those affected. the united nations humanitarian coordinator martin griffiths has warned that ongoing telecom blackout in sudan is preventing people from accessing essential services. most of sudan's main internet service providers have been off—line for more than a week. mr griffiths said people were also unable to transfer funds because of the blackout. in a post on social media, he urged those responsible to restore the networks. millions of people around the world are tuning in to watch the super bowl, pitting the kansas city chiefs against the san francisco 49ers. the 49ers are currently up by 10-3. we the 49ers are currently up by 10—3. we will get some pictures from las vegas, fro

excitement builds as ivory coast prepares to take on nigeria in the final of the africa cup of nations more than half of gaza's population has taken shelter there. in an interview with abc news, he said israel will give civilians safe passage to areas they've cleared north of rafah. the army has continued to target the city with air strikes,

now they are africa cup of nations title holders and also this year's kings of african football.losing minutes. the 49ers were on the brink of victory twice during the game, but a last minute field goal by the chiefs pushed it into overtime where a touchdown pass put them over the edge. cheering the chiefs on, from the vip box, was taylor swift, while rnb star, usher, put on an energetic performance during the famous half—time show. nestor mcgregor has more from las vegas. the kansas city chiefs back—to—back champions. the first time it has been achieved for almost 20 years. does this one feel any different? it does, it feels ten times better, man. adversity, what the team went through, the naysayers. but on top of that, man, just how much fun we have coming in the building. you can see how we are enjoying this one right now. how will you and your lovely pop star girlfriend be celebrating? i'm sure vegas will roll out the red carpet — i will be elvis for the night. the champagne is flowing — my glasses are proof. the kansas city chiefs — back—to—back nfl champions. the day starte

coming up, we will have more on the super bowl, as well as the africa cup of nations. to the day and we had quite a bit of fog first thing this morning across parts of north wales, the midlands, northern england and central scotland. much of that mist and fog has tended to clear away but this was the scene in edinburgh first thing this morning, tricky driving conditions if you're on the roads. it has also been pretty wet, that rain across eastern england is clearing away. it will stay wet in the far northeast of scotland throughout this afternoon, elsewhere showers will push in. they could be on the heavy side, especially in the south—east of england but also some sunny spells this afternoon with maximum temperatures of 6 degrees in aberdeen, about 11 celsius in london. through tonight, we continue with some showers especially around western areas, those could turn wintry over higher ground. clear skies elsewhere and that means it could be quite chilly to start off on monday morning, certainly in the countryside in more rural areas we will see some frost. in the towns

a great night for the ivory coast, they have won the africa cup of nations.ll—time is what you are looking at, just a short while ago, at a party in london when ivory coast beat nigeria 2—i. our reporter was there soaking up the atmosphere. figs there soaking up the atmosphere. is you can imagine, a lot ofjubilation here. ivory coast brands, they have just beaten nigeria 2—i here. ivory coast brands, they have just beaten nigeria 2—1 to become the afcon champions this year. it is thanks to two players, sebastien haller and kessie. thanks to two players, sebastien hallerand kessie. i thanks to two players, sebastien haller and kessie. i have some plans who have been celebrating tonight. what do you think about ivory coast winning this year's afcon? i’m what do you think about ivory coast winning this year's afcon?— winning this year's afcon? i'm 'ust very happy — winning this year's afcon? i'm 'ust very happy about it. i winning this year's afcon? i'm 'ust very happy about it. just �* winning this year's afcon? i'm 'ust very happy about it. just very h very hap

sahel aj football won the africa cup of nations for the third time. in the final match of this competition last night, the host team defeated sahel aj do one of nigeria and won the championship for the third time in a row. in this match william ekeng scored the only goal for nigeria in the 38th minute but frank kissier and sebastian haller scored in the 62nd and 81st minutes for sahel aj . the elimination of saud led to the dismissal of sahel aj head coach jean-louis gasses and his assistant. the shock of the coach's dismissal paid off, and after that, aj beach fell on the winning tape and finally won the championship trophy last night. previously, in the ranking match of the south african team , after a goalless draw against the democratic republic of the congo, they beat this team 6-5 in penalty kicks. a third platform stood. club football in europe. they scored all of granada's goals. in the other game, atletico madrid lost to sevilla by one goal and remained in the fourth place with 48 points. in other games, mallorca beat raivicano 2-1 and beat ce

one of the stars of the africa cup of nations, nigeria striker victor 0simhen, is in danger of missinginal against south africa on wednesday. he didn't travel to bouake with the rest of the squad due to "abdominal discomfort". it's hoped he'll be able to join them on tuesday. last seasons top scorer in serie a has one goal to his name so far at this afcon but it's his tireless running and pressing that's been a key part of nigeria's success. england cricket captain ben stokes said he was happy with the way england went about their run chase, despite losing the second test in india by 106 runs. the series is now level at 1—1. chasing 399 to win, england were bowled out for 292, jack crawley top scoring with 73. india were impressive in their bowling, particularly jasprit bumrah who took nine wickets. ravi ashwin also took three for 72 and is now on 499 test wickets. stokes says he was encouraged by england's performance. i was happy with the way in which we went about that chase. that's exactly how we play cricket. when an opportunity presents itself and it's sort of a pressure situatio

thousands of fans in ivory coast have come out to cheer the squad after their africa cup of nations successded around the streets of abidjan with the trophy, which they won for a third time after beating nigeria 2—1 in sunday's final. their victory is all the more remarkable after they were almost knocked out of the group stages of their own tournament and then sacked their coach. the elephants dramatically recovered to add to their 1992 and 2015 titles. in cricket, the west indies completed their three match t20 series against australia with a win. batting first, the west indies finished 220 for six. andre russell top—scoring with 71 offjust 29 balls. in reply australia could only make 183 for the loss of five wickets from their 20 overs. david warner hit 81 off 49 balls. australia won the series 2—1. the kansas city chiefs' overtime win against the san francisco 49ers on super bowl sunday was the most—watched television programme in us history. the chiefs have returned home victorious. their plane landed with the team flag flying out of the pilot's window. then they disembarked holding al

of you elections in june. the ivory coast and jerry as men's national team, are preparing for the africa cup of nations final hosts, ivory coast are hoping to seal an extraordinary come back after being on the brink of illumination, several times during the tournament. but they are such a face stiff competition from nigeria who have conceded just one goal and their last 5 matches. tens of millions of fans are expected to watch the finale on africa's biggest tournament across the continent and beyond. and ivory coast have to pull back or pull off a big come back to make it to the final as journalist. same on a molly reports now on how it made it this far. now it's came not just on the plots of golds that struggled at some point it appeared the we're going to be booked it out. all the competition. i'd say for that much between moral and some the way more real quick. just a heads up. yeah. they knew that that's victory to get them into the 2nd round after them. then he's been there will of course the right at some point as a matter of fact. so they have to suck the coach because of the quotes or the results. uh, the

let's take you to the africa cup of nations now, where either the hosts ivory coast or fellow former ater this evening. the super eagles are looking for a fourth title, while the ivorians are hoping to add to their wins in 1992 and 2015. our reporter ian williams is in abidjan for us. well, i was here at the stadium for the opening match, which also featured ivory coast. now, that felt big. this feels bigger. we've got extra security, fans are being stopped and checked kilometres away from the stadium. and then early on this afternoon, having to walk those kilometres in burning heat. but it's still orange and white absolutely everywhere you look. that includes even in the media spaces because hundreds of ivorian journalists there, huge contingent that follows nigeria around international media such as the bbc. we're told this game is going to be beamed into 173 territories around the world, more than ever before. close to 2 billion people will have watched afcon at some point during the tournament. so fitting we've got such a great final. the hosts against three time winners nigeria w

defeat to equatorial guinea left the hosts ivory coast on the brink of an early exit from the africa cup of nations even sacked their manager mid tournament on sunday, though they were crowned champions after beating nigeria two one in the final. and this is the reaction in abidjan on monday. tens of thousands taking to the streets to celebrate ivory coast's first afcon title since 2015, and third in total for the first tournament host to win the nations cup. to win the nations cup since egypt lifted the trophy in 2006, ivory coast spent more than $1 billion on hosting the tournament. the government saying it's investing a similar amount on improving infrastructure in the country. now tributes have been pouring in from the world of athletics following the sad news that kelvyn kipton, the marathon record holder, has been killed in a car accident. the 24—year—old kenyan is said to have been with his coach, who also died in the crash on a road in western kenya where there's a training base for long distance runners. it comes just five days after the world governing body world athletics ratified kipton

it's semi—finals day at the africa cup of nations. pochettino's not in a party mood at chelsea.

suffered from cancer in 2022, and he's recovered and now he's close to being the hero at this africa cup of nationsds here in abidjan, he is the face of a ball of the moment. he scored the winning goal to put them in the final, the ivory coast fans are just them in the final, the ivory coast fans arejust winning them in the final, the ivory coast fans are just winning this. the? fans are “ust winning this. they are into the fans are just winning this. they are into the final, _ fans are just winning this. they are into the final, nigeria _ fans are just winning this. they are into the final, nigeria have - fans are just winning this. they are into the final, nigeria have wanted | into the final, nigeria have wanted three times in a much more than ivory coast. this will be their eighth time in the final, something like that. would you make them slight favourites, john? i can see, ali, white people _ slight favourites, john? i can see, ali, white people would _ slight favourites, john? i can see, ali, white people would argue - slight favourites, john? i can see, | ali, white people would argue they

well, we're starting with football and the africa cup of nations where there are huge celebrations in the third time in their history. sebastien haller was the hero as they came from behind to beat nigeria 2—1 in the final on home soil. piers edwards reports. after their disastrous group stage display, the prospect of ivory coast lifting the nations cup trophy was simply improbable. but ever since, the miracles have just kept coming, squeezing through as a best third place side into the knockout rounds where the elephants came alive under a new coach. despite trailing in the final for a third time in the knockout rounds, as captain william troost—ekong gave nigeria a first half lead, the elephants bounced back yet again, first through franck kessie before sebastien hallerfired home. sebastien hallerfired home the winner nine minutes from time. cue huge celebrations in abidjan as the ivorians moved level with nigeria on three titles apiece. now, well, here's more reaction from the former ivory

a football now or the ivory coast of nigeria as men's national teams are preparing for the africa cup of nations. final post ivory coast are hoping to seal an extraordinary come back after being on the brink of illumination, several times during the tournament. but they're set to face this competition from nigeria who can see that just one goal in their last 5 matches. tens of millions of fans are expected to watch the finale of africa's biggest tournament across the continent and beyond. as go straight to of john in ivory coast during list times in a while i samson ivory coast to be come back kid of the cop. now they're playing the final and could become the 1st host ation. in 18 years to lift the trophy, how they pull it off. now it's came not just on the plots of gold that struggled. at some point it appeared that we're going to be booted out all the competition. i'd say for that much between moral and some the way more real quick. just a heads up. yeah. the, the, that's victory to get them into the 2nd round up. and then he's been there will of course, the right at some point as a

this is how sebastian haller returned to borussia dortmund after helping ivory coast win the africa cup of nationsndable love being shown, although i'm not sure the person who had to clean it up felt the same. head to our website for more on all those stories, but that's it from the bbc sport centre. goodbye for now. hello there. we're certainly seeing quite a lot of rain so far this february, but it's also been incredibly mild with it at times. and this warmer and wet story is perfect growing ingredients for those early spring bulbs out there. now, temperatures at this time of year should be sitting around 8—9 celsius as an average, butjust take a look at what happened during thursday. we saw temperatures widely into the mid—teens, and for some as high as 18 celsius. so, yes, it was incredibly mild. the mild theme is set to continue, perhaps not quite as mild, but nevertheless pleasant enough. and on friday, we should start the day with some sunshine coming through. a westerly wind just feeding in a few isolated showers across wales and northern england, but on the whole, pleasant enough. bit mor

cup since japan in 200a. after a record number of goals unrelenting shocks and quite a bit of ridiculous late drama, the africa cup of nationsrterjohn bennett is out in abidjan and looks ahead to the final now in the company of former cameroon defender sebastien bassong. excitement levels are rising here for the locals, notjust for the final but the possible party afterwards on sunday night and going through into monday. the locals will get a day off if ivory coast win. one person who hasn't had a day off during this africa cup of nation is seb bassong, he has seen nearly every game. thanks forjoining us. is this the best possible final for a neutral? i is this the best possible final for a neutral? ., �* , , a neutral? i wouldn't say the best ossible a neutral? i wouldn't say the best possible but _ a neutral? i wouldn't say the best possible but it _ a neutral? i wouldn't say the best possible but it is _ a neutral? i wouldn't say the best possible but it is a _ a neutral? i wouldn't say the best possible but it is a great - a neutral? iwouldn't say the best possible but it is a great final- possible but it is a great fina

that's how interim ivory coast manager emerse fae described reaching the final of the africa cup of nationsenough to see off dr congo in the semifinals. fans in abidjan took to the streets to celebrate as they became the first host nation to reach the final since egypt in 2006. this from a team having nearly been eliminated at the group stage. the hosts will face nigeria in the final after they overcame south africa on penalties in bouake. the super eagles are looking to clinch their fourth afcon title and a first since 2013. the final is a rematch of the group stage fixture which nigeria won 1—0. at the final, anybody who comes we will trash them. trusty. the players have done well. they have made nigeria proud. this have done well. they have made nigeria proud-— nigeria proud. this is our tournament. _ nigeria proud. this is our tournament. this - nigeria proud. this is our tournament. this turn . nigeria proud. this is our tournament. this turn it | nigeria proud. this is our| tournament. this turn it is nigeria proud. this is our- tournament. this turn it is our tournament. this turn it

and nigeria, as many national teams, are preparing for the africa cup of nations. final host, ivory posts are hoping to seal and extraordinary come back. after being on the brink of illumination, several times during the tournament. but they are set to face this competition from nigeria who have conceited just one goal and their last 5 matches. tens of millions of fans are expected to watch the final of africa's biggest tournament across the continent and beyond. and journalist, samson o'malley and i've been john, looks back on how every coast managed to make it this far. now it's came not just on the plot of golds that struggled at some point it appeared the we're going to be booted out, all the competition. i'd say for that much which in moral and some the way more real quick if they've got the need that that's victory to get them into the 2nd round i problem, then he's been there will of course the right at some point as a matter of fact, so they have to suck the i coach because of the photo and the results. uh the with bitten for legal bike. and so we're getting in the same group the

he was speaking ahead of quarterfinals of the africa cup of nations, which get under way later. rst of them. motsepe believes the increased investment in prize money and academies is bearing fruit. we have increased the prize money, and with the prize money it means some of that money is going to go into the pockets of the players who need it. so the future looks bright, there is still a lot of work to be done but at the end of the day we are alljudged by our results. when an african nation is champions of the world, then we'll get the acknowledgement we deserve. more than 85 of the uk's top football clubs, including every premier league club, are coming together for the green football weekend, to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on football. they aim to announce new sustainability commitments and support the fans to make a difference on climate. one man with a keen eye on the environment is former arsenal midfielder, mathieu flameni. i think it is about looking at what is possible. we are not asking for the guys to play in the champions league take a train to germ

we started to ask on, the 34th edition of africa cup of nations has reached the semifinal stage with ost ivory coast play the democratic republic of the congo, but before that, as the other way height heavyweights, ledger play south africa. they've been given a massive boost with the main striker being given the clear to play. the being given the clear to play. the be hoping to win later as they chase their fourth title.— their fourth title. three victories out of three _ their fourth title. three victories out of three for _ their fourth title. three victories out of three for nigeria - their fourth title. three victories out of three for nigeria against l out of three for nigeria against south africa. chances depend on the former south africa goalkeeper who saved four out of five penalties. south africa led by the 71 hugo

away from the fa cup, the 3ath edition of the africa cup of nations has reached the semifinal stage withg played later — and live on the bbc. the hosts ivory coast face the democratic republic of congo at 8pm — but before that, at 5pm, it's the other heavyweights, nigeria who play south africa. and they've been given a massive boost with striker victor 0simhen declared fit to play. the napoli star had been a doubt with an abdominal problem. nigeria are hoping to win their fourth afcon title — and as our reporter ian williams has been telling me from bouake — south africa will need to beat them for the first time at the tournament. they never have at african before. four out of five victories at african. chances depend on the south african. chances depend on the south africa goalkeeper who saved a remarkable four penalties out of five i/a—final shoot—out against cape verde. they led by the leader hugo bruce. can he do the same this time round? and they match—up will be the one people are looking at, williams against 0simhen, the african footballer of the year. nigeria a surprise package t