Senegal beat Mali to book first AFCON 2025 semifinal spot

Senegal bushed Mali 1-0 to scope AFCON 2025 semifinal wherever defending champions Ivory Coast oregon grounds winners Egypt await.

Recalled striker Iliman Ndiaye scored successful the archetypal fractional to springiness Senegal a 1-0 triumph implicit 10-man Mali successful Tangiers connected Friday successful the archetypal 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal.

Mali hopes were dealt a terrible stroke successful first-half added clip erstwhile Yves Bissouma was sent disconnected aft being shown a 2nd yellowish card.

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The lone extremity followed a blunder by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, who past made a drawstring of superb saves to forestall Senegal expanding their lead.

Senegal present look defending champions Ivory Coast oregon grounds seven-time winners Egypt, who conscionable connected Saturday, successful the semifinals.

Malian Lassine Sinayoko appealed for a punishment conscionable 3 minutes into the archetypal half, alleging helium was fouled by Senegal skipper Kalidou Koulibaly, who was backmost aft a one-match suspension.

However, the South African referee waved play on, and VAR confirmed his determination was correct. Big-screen replays showed Sinayoko was blameworthy of simulation.

Mali skipper Bissouma was yellow-carded midway done the fractional for fouling seasoned Senegal striker and doubly African subordinate of the twelvemonth Sadio Mane.

Sinayoko past broke wide lone to beryllium foiled by a superb sliding tackle from chap French Ligue 1 subordinate Krepin Diatta.

The deadlock was breached aft 27 minutes connected a cold, cloudy evening successful the Mediterranean metropolis acknowledgment to Ndiaye.

He was progressive 3 times successful a determination which ended with goalkeeper Djigui Diarra allowing a Krepin Diarra transverse to gaffe nether his body, and Ndiaye struck the escaped shot into the net.

Senegal’s guardant Iliman Ndiaye celebrates scoring his team’s archetypal extremity successful the nets of Mali’s goalkeeper Djigui Diarra during the Africa Cup of Nations [Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP]

While the extremity was a gift, it gave Senegal a deserved pb arsenic they had dominated possession successful lone the 2nd AFCON clash betwixt the countries. The archetypal was drawn astatine the radical signifier successful 2004.

Pape Gueye, who scored doubly for Senegal successful the last-16 triumph implicit Sudan, was conscionable disconnected people with a changeable from extracurricular the box.

Then, for the 2nd successive knockout match, Mali were reduced to 10 men earlier half-time with Bissouma shown a 2nd yellowish card, followed by a red.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder fouled Idrissa Gueye successful midfield, and Malian pleas for the incidental to beryllium reviewed by VAR were rejected.

Mali displayed tremendous tone erstwhile reduced to 10 men against Tunisia successful the circular of 16, and it was evident again against the Senegalese arsenic the 2nd fractional progressed.

They came adjacent to levelling connected 55 minutes erstwhile defender Abdoulaye Diaby precocious for a free-kick. His close-range changeable brought a reflex prevention from erstwhile Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Diarra atoned for his first-half blunder by making respective superb saves to support live Malian dreams of winning a maiden AFCON title.

With 15 minutes of regular clip remaining, scorer Ndiaye was substituted. In his spot came 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain guardant Ibrahim Mbaye, whose extremity sealed triumph implicit Sudan.

Diarra rescued Mali again arsenic clip ticked away, blocking a changeable from substitute Pathe Ciss, who had breached clear.

The Malian goalkeeper made different outstanding prevention during 7 minutes of added clip by pushing distant a Lamine Camara volley.