Sadio Mané once again proved decisive on the continental stage as Senegal edged Egypt 1-0 to book their place in the AFCON final in Tangier. As previewed by SoftFootball ahead of this high-stakes semi-final, the clash lived up to its billing, with Senegal showing greater control and purpose against a cautious Egyptian side.
The Lions of Teranga dominated possession and territory from the opening minutes, building on confidence gained from their narrow quarter-final win over Mali, also covered by SoftFootball. Egypt, inspired into the semi-final by Mohamed Salah against Ivory Coast, struggled to impose themselves as Senegal patiently applied pressure.
Despite controlling nearly 70 per cent of the ball, Senegal initially lacked a cutting edge against Egypt’s deep defensive block. Chances were limited in a tense first half, and the mood darkened slightly when captain Kalidou Koulibaly was forced off through injury.
Egypt offered little going forward, failing to register a single shot before the interval, as Senegal continued to probe without reward. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 78th minute and fittingly came through Mané. After a long-range effort from Lamine Camara was blocked, the ball fell kindly at the forward’s feet.
Mané showed composure and quality, chesting the ball down before firing a low right-footed strike into the bottom corner beyond Mohamed El Shenawy. A brief VAR check confirmed the goal stood, sending Senegal’s bench into celebration.
Egypt’s ultra-defensive approach left them with no clear route back into the game. Their first real effort came late on when Omar Marmoush tested Edouard Mendy from a distance in stoppage time, but the goalkeeper saved comfortably.
It summed up a frustrating night for the Pharaohs, who managed just one shot on target and never truly threatened an equaliser. The result shared on the official X account reignited the familiar Mané versus Salah narrative.
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While Salah was largely anonymous, Mané delivered again, eliminating Egypt for the third time in major knockout ties after the 2021 AFCON final and the 2022 World Cup qualifier. Senegal have now reached their third AFCON final in four tournaments and will face either Morocco or Nigeria on January 18, aiming to lift their second continental crown.
