Sadio Mané has secured Senegal’s ticket to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, thanks to his lone goal scored just over ten minutes from the end of the semi-final clash against Egypt on Wednesday at the Grand Stade of Tangier.
As expected, the first half was tense. Egypt sat deep in a low block and waited for Senegal, who struggled to put together their attacking moves. The only real chance came in the 19th minute, when Nicolas Jackson fired a shot from the edge of the box, but his effort sailed over the crossbar, briefly lifting the crowd.
A notable moment of the first half was the injury-forced exit of Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly. Earlier, he had received a yellow card that will rule him out of the final. At halftime, Senegal and Egypt were still level.
Both coaching staffs made their first changes at the start of the second half. Habib Diarra made way for Lamine Camara for Senegal, while Trezeguet came on for Ahmed Fatouh for Egypt. On the pitch, the pattern remained the same: Senegal dominated possession and pressed forward, while Egypt continued to defend resolutely. Eventually, the Pharaohs paid the price for a brief lapse in concentration. In the 78th minute, Sadio Mané struck from the edge of the penalty area, placing the ball just inside the post beyond El Shenawy. Senegal took the lead.
Egypt finally pushed forward and left spaces at the back. From a pass by Camara, Pape Gueye sent his shot high. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan threw on his remaining attacking options late in the game, but Senegal held firm. Egypt registered their first shot on target in stoppage time (90+5’), comfortably saved by Edouard Mendy.
With this narrow but valuable victory, the Lions of Teranga book their place in the final of the AFCON 2025 — their third in the last four editions since 2019.
They will face Morocco on Sunday.
“From the start, we did it together. We avoided making individual errors or committing unnecessary fouls,” reflected Mane.
“I think we managed the game well from start to finish and, overall, we deserved to win. We have to be honest about the final and I think all the teams are amazing. We’ll see, and we’ll try to be ready for the final, above all to give our best.”
Courtesy of CafOnline.com
