Tangier, January 15: A late strike from Sadio Mané powered Senegal into the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, as the Lions of Teranga edged past Egypt 1-0 in a tense semi-final clash at the Grand Stade of Tangier on Wednesday.
As expected, the opening half was cagey, with Egypt sitting deep in a compact defensive block and Senegal struggling to break them down. The best chance before the break fell to Nicolas Jackson in the 19th minute, but his effort from the edge of the box flew over the crossbar.
Senegal suffered a blow midway through the first half when captain Kalidou Koulibaly was forced off injured in the 23rd minute. The defender had earlier picked up a yellow card, ruling him out of the final. The teams went into halftime locked at 0-0.
Both sides made changes at the start of the second half, with Lamine Camara replacing Habib Diarra for Senegal, while Egypt introduced Trezeguet for Ahmed Fatouh. The pattern of play remained unchanged as Senegal dominated possession and territory, while Egypt continued to defend resolutely.
The breakthrough finally came in the 78th minute when Mané struck from the edge of the penalty area, curling a precise shot just inside the post beyond goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
Egypt pushed forward in search of an equaliser, leaving spaces at the back. Pape Gueye went close in the 82nd minute, firing over the bar after a pass from Camara. Despite late attacking substitutions by Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, Senegal’s defence held firm. Egypt managed their first shot on target only in stoppage time, which was comfortably saved by Edouard Mendy.
With the victory, Senegal advance to their third AFCON final in the last four editions since 2019. They will face host nation Morocco in the final after the Atlas Lions defeated Nigeria on penalties in the second semi-final.
Source:CAF
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