AFCON 2025: Senegal edge Mali to book semifinal spot
Senegal sealed a place in the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco after a narrow 1–0 victory over Mali in the quarterfinals.
The Teranga Lions struck the decisive blow to the Eagles in the 27th minute when Illiman Ndiaye capitalised on a rare mistake by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, calmly converting to put Senegal in front.
The goal sent the 2021 champions into their fifth AFCON semifinal.
The day went from bad to worse for Mali. Their challenge suffered a major setback in the first half when captain Yves Bissouma was sent off after picking up his second yellow card of the match, leaving the Eagles to contest the remainder of the game with ten men.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Mali came out with purpose after the break and applied sustained pressure. However, they were unable to create clear-cut chances to seriously test Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
At the other end, Diarra made amends for his earlier error with a string of top-class saves to keep the scoreline respectable and give Mali hope until the final whistle.
Senegal managed the closing stages with composure to see out the slim advantage and will now await the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Egypt and Ivory Coast in the semifinals.