…Senegal to face Cameroon or Morocco in semis
Senegal have become the first side to qualify for the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after securing a 1-0 victory over Mali in their quarterfinal encounter at Tanger on Friday, Bold Sports reports.
Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye scored the only goal of the game, capitalising on a costly error to seal the victory and keep the Lions of Teranga on course in their quest for a second continental title.
The game began with drama as Mali had a shout for a penalty as early as the third minute. Striker Lassine Sinayoko found his way into the box and was upended by a mistimed Kalidou Koulibaly sliding challenge. But the referee waved the penalty appeals away and the decision was not overturned by VAR.
Few minutes later, Senegal appealed for a penalty at the other end of the pitch. The ball struck defender Abdoulaye Diaby on the arm, but it was deflected against him from point-blank range, so the referee decided there was no penalty on that occasion also.
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In the 23rd minute, Mali captain Yves Bissouma received a yellow card for putting his arm in the face of Sadio Mane. Four minutes later, Senegal opened the scoring after a terrible mistake from Djigui Diarra. The goalkeeper spilled Diatta’s low cross, allowing Ndiaye score from close range to make it 1-0.
Things went from bad to worse for Mali as Bissouma was shown a second yellow card and sent off for a nasty challenge on Idrissa Gana Gueye just before half-time, leaving Tom Saintfiet’s side facing an uphill battle in their bid to stage a comeback.
Despite the blow just before the interval, Mali emerged with renewed intent after the restart and tested Edouard Mendy almost immediately.
The Senegal goalkeeper reacted sharply to stop a close-range effort before recovering quickly to smother the loose ball as it threatened to fall kindly for Lassana Coulibaly. Few minutes after the hour mark, Ousmane Camara forced another strong save from Mendy. But the offside flag was raised, so it wouldn’t have counted had it gone in.
Diarra produced a pair of crucial saves to keep Mali in the game, first keeping out Sadio Mané’s shot in the 67th minute before showing excellent reflexes to get down and push away Pathé Ciss’ well-directed header. In the 76th minute, the goalkeeper made another excellent save, denying Ciss for the second time after the midfielder was clean through on goal.
The closing stages of the game saw Mali pushing desperately for an equaliser and Senegal looking to seal the win. In the end, neither side added to the scoreline, as Ndiaye’s first-half strike proved to be the winner.
The defeat brings Mali’s 2025 AFCON campaign to an end, while Senegal now await their semi-final opponents, with Egypt set to face Ivory Coast in Agadir on Saturday.
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