Senegal beat 10-man Mali 1–0 to become the first team to reach the 2025 AFCON semi-final on Friday.
The match played at Stade ibn Batouta (Tanger) in Morocco saw Senegal extending their unbeaten run inside 90 minutes at the tournament to 16 finals matches (W 11 and D 5).
Iliman Ndiaye scored the only goal of the game at the 27th minute by converting Diatta’s cross, which was horribly loose by the Malian goalkeeper, Djigui Diarra.
Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma’s red card in the added minutes of the first half added a major setback to Mali’s midfield, as it found it hard to keep the ball for transitioning.
The win has sealed Senegal as one of the most consistent nations at AFCON. For the fifth time in AFCON history, Senegal has progressed to the last four in the tournament.
Senegal is set to face either Egypt or the Ivory Coast, depending on who wins tomorrow, Saturday’s match.
