Senegal secured their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a narrow 1–0 victory over Maliin Tangier, with Iliman Ndiaye scoring the decisive goal in the first half.

The Everton forward netted his first goal of the tournament after capitalising on a mistake by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, sending the defending champions into the final four and keeping their hopes of back-to-back AFCON titles alive.

How the Game Was Won

Senegal made a positive start and created several early openings, with Pape Gueye firing two efforts wide before Mali were nearly awarded a penalty in the third minute. Lassine Sinayoko went down inside the box after contact from Kalidou Koulibaly, but VAR did not intervene.

The breakthrough arrived when Krepin Diatta delivered a low cross from the right. Diarra failed to collect the ball, allowing Ndiaye to tap in from close range for what proved to be the winning goal.

Just before the break, Diarra partially redeemed himself by tipping El Hadji Malick Diouf’s effort onto the crossbar. Moments later, Mali’s situation worsened as captain Yves Bissouma was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge, leaving his side with ten men.

Related Article: Morocco beat Cameroon 2–0 to reach AFCON 2025 Semifinals

Mali unable to find a response

Despite being a man down, Mali attempted to push forward in the second half, but Edouard Mendy was equal to their best efforts. The Senegal goalkeeper denied Abdoulaye Diaby from a free-kick and reacted quickly to block a dangerous low cross from Sinayoko.

At the other end, Diarra kept Mali in the contest with a series of saves from Sadio Mane and Pathe Ciss, while Lassine Camara’s late volley was tipped onto the post in stoppage time.

However, Mali were unable to sustain pressure or create a clear chance during the seven minutes of added time.

Discipline costs Mali again

Mali exit AFCON 2025 without recording a single victory, and once again ill-discipline played a decisive role. This was their third consecutive match in Morocco in which they had a player sent off.

They had already gone down to 10 men early in their last-16 win over Tunisia, which they eventually won on penalties. This time, they could not recover.

What’s next for Senegal

Senegal will remain in Tangier as they prepare for a heavyweight semi-final against either Egypt or Ivory Coast, who face each other in Agadir.

The Teranga Lions had already beaten Sudan in the Round of 16 and now stand two games away from defending their AFCON crown. For Mali, it is another quarter-final exit, with a talented squad again falling short of expectations.

SportsLigue