Senegal booked their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 after edging Mali 1–0 in a tense quarter-final clash at the Grand Stade de Tanger on Friday night. The match saw Mali reduced to ten men when their captain, Yves Bissouma, was sent off in added time at the end of the first half.

In a fiercely contested West African derby, the 2021 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations winners showed composure and tactical discipline to overcome a resilient Malian side. Senegal were guided by coach Pape Thiaw stood tall all evening. With both teams battling intensely for control in midfield and clear chances at a premium, Senegal proved more decisive in the key moments.

The breakthrough came in the 27th minute when Iliman Ndiaye capitalised on a goalkeeping error from Mali’s Djigui Diarra inside the penalty area. Reacting quickest to the loose ball, the Senegal forward calmly finished from close range to score what proved to be the match-winning goal.

Mali’s task became significantly more difficult moments before the interval when Bissouma received a second yellow card in stoppage time, forcing the Eagles to play the entire second half with a numerical disadvantage. Despite the setback, Mali reorganised defensively under Tom Saintfiet’s guidance and continued to search for a way back into the contest.

After the restart, Senegal controlled possession and dictated the tempo, probing patiently for a second goal. Mali defended with determination, and despite the defeat, goalkeeper Djigui Diarra was spectacular, making several key saves to keep the scoreline close and frustrating Senegal’s attacking efforts.

Senegal, however, managed the closing stages with maturity and control to secure their place in the last four of the competition, while Mali exited the tournament after a courageous and spirited quarter-final performance.

Senegal will face Saturday’s winner between record champions Egypt and holders Cote D’Ivoire.

Reactions

TotalEnergies Man of the Match: Iliman Ndiaye of Senegal:

"I am happy to have won this award but the most important thing is that we have progressed to the semi-finals of the competition. We played very well today and it shows that we are improving match after match. I am confident that my colleagues and I will focus on the next match to play at our best level and deliver for our fans."

Mali coach Tom Saintfiet:

"It was an interesting and difficult match for us because we had to play large parts of the game with ten men. But that doesn't take away the fact that my players played gallantly and played very well. I am proud of them for the performance they put up not just in today's match but throughout the competition. We have shown the world what we are made of. Together with my staff we will analyse our matches and see what we can do better in future."

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw:

"It was not an easy match because we played against a very talented Mali team but we achieved our objective. The Mali team has good qualities and they created many challenges for us. If we had been more clinical in front of goal we could have scored more goals but what is more important today is for us to have qualified for the semi-final. We will look into our errors and look to correct them for our future matches. We hope that we will be more efficient in front of goal and have more luck in future." (CAFonline)