A 78th minute strike from distance by Senegal star Sadio Mané sent the Lions of Teranga to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) final with a 1-0 victory over Egypt in Wednesday’s opening semifinal match at the Tangier Grand Stadium.
In a tight battle, the Senegalese forward fired in a low shot from distance past Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy after Lamine Diarra’s hopeful effort bounced back to Mané.
The Pharaohs had revenge on their minds years after losing the 2021 AFCON final to Senegal in a penalty shootout, which was followed shortly by a similar elimination from 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Wednesday’s match bore a strong resemblance to the 2021 final, with both teams cancelling each other out for long stretches at the Tangier Grand Stadium.
However, Senegal were the team that appeared to be in control with dominance of the ball. Egypt’s most dangerous attackers were severely limited by an excellent performance from the defence of the West Africans, with West Ham United fullback El Hadji Malick Diouf shutting down Mohamed Salah.
Egypt only managed one shot on goal throughout the entire match and as they became more and more tired from lack of possession, their objective of holding on for a penalty shootout became apparent. But the pressure increased more and more with Senegal probing for ways to break down the Egyptian block.
And a moment of unpredictability was what led to the downfall of the 7-time AFCON champions. Following a series of passes from the Lions of Teranga, Diarra’s hopeful shot created a moment of uncertainty and Mané reacted quickly to the space created by the deflection with a powerful low shot from twenty yards that left El Shenawy frozen to the spot.
A late push came too late for an exhausted Egypt team, who had little left in the tank to trouble a formidable defense. The Lions of Teranga will now face hosts Morocco in a blockbuster final, which will take place on Sunday, January 18 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
