Senegal booked their place in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 after Sadio Mane’s powerful late strike sealed a hard fought 1-0 victory over Egypt in Tangier, ending the Pharaohs’ hopes of a record tenth final appearance.
The semi final was a repeat of the 2021 AFCON final and lived up to its billing as a tense and tactical battle at the Grande Stade de Tangier, with both sides cautious and well organised in the opening stages.
The first 15 minutes passed without a clear chance as Egypt and Senegal cancelled each other out in midfield. The first real opening arrived in the 19th minute when Nicolas Jackson cut inside and attempted a powerful effort, but he lost his footing and sent the ball over the bar. Senegal suffered a major setback three minutes later as captain Kalidou Koulibaly went down injured and was eventually stretchered off, with Mamadou Sarr replacing him in a blow that threatened to derail their campaign.
With half an hour played, Senegal had managed two efforts on goal while Egypt had yet to register a single attempt, underlining how tightly contested the contest was. Egypt finally tested Edouard Mendy shortly after when Diarra tried his luck from distance, but Hamdy Fathy’s deflection took the sting out of the shot and made it a routine save for Mohamed El Shenawy.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Senegal enjoying more of the ball but struggling to break down Egypt’s disciplined defence. A corner in the 59th minute briefly raised the tempo, but Egypt cleared and attempted to counter, only for Emam Ashour’s pass to Omar Marmoush to fall short and waste the opportunity.
As frustration grew and the match seemed destined for extra time, Senegal finally found the breakthrough in the 78th minute. Lamine Camara’s initial effort from range was blocked, but the loose ball fell perfectly into the path of Sadio Mane on the left side of the area. The forward struck cleanly through a crowd of bodies, sending a fierce shot past El Shenawy at the near post to spark wild celebrations among the Senegal supporters. A brief check for offside followed before the goal was confirmed.
Egypt pushed for an equaliser in the closing minutes but were unable to find a way through, as Senegal held firm to secure their place in the final.
The victory marked the sixth AFCON meeting between the two sides and their second semi final clash at the tournament. Senegal will now await the winner of the semi final between Morocco and Nigeria as they look to defend their continental crown.
