JAKARTA – Sadio Mane scored the only winning goal in the final minutes as Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 in the first semi-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Africa Cup of Nations/Afcon) on Thursday, January 15, 2026, early morning WIB, in Tangier.

The result also ended the dream of his former Liverpool teammate, Mohamed Salah, to win his first African Cup of Nations title.

The 2021 final replay – which Senegal won on penalties after Mane scored the decisive penalty – was a meeting between two former club mates and rivals. Mane and Salah are among the best players Africa has ever produced.

Although Salah has scored four goals in four matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on his way to the semi-finals, Mane scored the winning goal in a game that was short on opportunities.

He controlled the ball with his chest in the 78th minute before firing low past Mohamed El Shenawy who failed to reach the ball.

Senegal now head to their fourth Africa Cup of Nations final, while Egypt will rue a cautious approach that saw them fail to create a single goal opportunity before the final 10 minutes.

Course of the match

The first half was very boring, starting with two yellow cards that ensured both Hossam Abdelmaguid (Egypt) and Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal) would not participate in the final if their teams qualified.

Abdelmaguid received a yellow card in the sixth minute after pulling Nicolas Jackson as he moved into a dangerous position.

Meanwhile, Koulibaly, who again looked less quick and sharp in the game, brought down Omar Marmoush and was shown a yellow card 11 minutes later.

The veteran defender, who had been serving a ban from the tournament after being sent off against Benin, was replaced with an injury to his groin in the 23rd minute. Mamadou Sarr came on to replace him.

Senegal performed better in the first half because Egypt seemed less greget even though they dominated possession of the ball.

They struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities. Pape Gueye fired directly at El Shenawy in the 32nd minute after Habib Diarra’s long-range effort was blocked.

A clash between Salah and Mane just before the break made the match interesting, before Diarra received a yellow card which made him absent in the final. This brought optimism that the second half would be tight and full of performances.

When the second half started, Senegal increased the intensity. Lamine Camara, who replaced Diarra, fired a hard shot into the goal from outside the penalty box forcing El Shenawy to make a save.

Egypt responded with various efforts from Marmoush, but failed to score.

The breakthrough came 12 minutes before the end of the game, when Camara’s effort was blocked and the ball fortuitously bounced towards Mane on the edge of the penalty area.

He controlled the ball – amid cries of handball – before instinctively firing low into the near post to give Senegal a 1-0 lead.

Not long after, Pape Gueye could have secured a convincing victory with a shot from inside the penalty area, but his shot was wide.

Egypt finally had their first chance in the 84th minute when Mostafa Mohamed’s header missed the target.

When they finally tried to change their mindset to play more openly in search of goals, Marmoush fired a hard shot into the goal in the fifth minute of injury time from the edge of the penalty box, but Edouard Mendy managed to fend off the threat.

Senegal advanced to their third final in the last four African Cup of Nations tournaments. Meanwhile, Egypt lost in the African Cup of Nations semifinals for the first time in 42 years.

Salah’s hunt for a continental crown his country have won seven times ended in Tangier.

Senegal will face Morocco in the final on Monday, January 19, 2026, early morning WIB, after the hosts beat Nigeria on penalties in the semi-final on the same day.

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