Senegal booked their place in the AFCON 2025 semi-finals with a tense 1-0 victory over Mali on Friday night at the Tangier Grand Stadium in Morocco. It was not pretty, but it was effective. Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half strike proved decisive as the reigning champions became the first team into the last four, extending their impressive tournament consistency.
Mali, who had already made headlines for reaching the quarter-finals without a single win, as highlighted by SoftFootball earlier in the competition, once again showed resilience but fell just short. The winning goal arrived in the 27th minute and came from sustained pressure.
Krépin Diatta’s cross was poorly handled by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, and Ndiaye reacted quickest to tap home from close range. Senegal looked capable of adding more, but Diarra recovered well, later producing a string of saves that kept Mali alive.
The Eagles’ earlier group stage grit, including their hard-fought draw against Morocco reported by SoftFootball, felt evident again despite the deficit. The match tilted further in Senegal’s favour just before the break when Mali captain Yves Bissouma was sent off for a second yellow card.
Referee Abongile Tom showed little hesitation, and suddenly Tom Saintfiet faced the task of inspiring a comeback with 10 men. Ironically, Mali showed more ambition after the restart. Lassine Sinayoko tested Edouard Mendy, while Abdoulaye Diaby also forced a save as Senegal briefly lost control.
Pape Thiaw responded by introducing Lamine Camara and Pathé Ciss to steady things. Diarra continued to frustrate Senegal, denying Camara with a stunning volley tipped onto the post late on. Seven minutes of stoppage time brought nerves, yellow cards for Kalidou Koulibaly and Hamari Traoré, and plenty of tension, but no equaliser.
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It was Senegal’s narrowest AFCON win in four years, yet they will not mind as they are in the semi-final, as shared on the CAF official X account. They now await either Egypt or Ivory Coast in the semi-finals on January 14. Mali exit with pride, having fought hard throughout a tournament that again showed they are closer than results suggest.
