Senegal vs Egypt: Heartbreak for Salah as Mane’s banger sends Senegal through to the AFCON final

Both teams arrive unbeaten after impressive runs to the last four. Under head coach Hossam Hassan, Egypt topped Group B with seven points, recording wins over Zimbabwe and South Africa along with a draw against Angola. They followed that up with a 3-1 victory over Benin in the round of 16 before edging past Côte d’Ivoire 3-2 in the quarter finals.

Senegal, coached by Pape Thiaw, matched Egypt’s group stage tally with seven points in Group D after wins over Botswana and Benin, along with a draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lions of Teranga then brushed aside Sudan 3-1 in the round of 16 before claiming a narrow 1-0 victory over Mali in the quarter finals.

Senegal XI (4-3-3): Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf; G Gueye, P Gueye, Diarra; Ndiaye, Jackson, Mane.

There is only one change for Senegal, as Jackson comes in for Diallo.

Egypt XI (3-4-2-1): El Shenawy; Ibrahim, Abdelmaguid, Rabia; Hany, Attia, Fathy, Fotouh; Ashour; Salah, Marmoush.

Egypt name an unchanged XI from their quarter-final win against Ivory Coast

Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon)

Senegal and Egypt clash in the AFCON 2025 semifinal today in a rematch of rivals who last faced off in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where Senegal won on penalties after also defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the 2021 AFCON final.

Salah and Mane shared a warm embrace before kick off, but all eyes remain firmly on Mohamed Salah.

The 33 year old has reached the AFCON final twice, in 2017 and 2021, yet the pressure is on him once again to lead Egypt to glory and join the ranks of national greats such as Ahmed Hassan and Mohamed Aboutrika.

There is also the added distraction of his ongoing situation at Liverpool. The big question is whether he can block out the club football noise and produce a standout performance in this crucial semi final.

Bayern Munich striker, Nicolas Jackson, who is on loan from Chelsea gets the match underway.

Senegal controlling possession in the early stages
(4 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Egypt’s number four, Hossam Abdelmaguid, pulls Nicolas Jackson, earning the first yellow card of the match and giving Senegal a chance from the right half space. Salah and Marmoush are unhappy, saying it was the first challenge. If Egypt reach the final, Abdelmaguid will miss it as this is his second yellow of the tournament. The free kick is headed out for a corner.

(7 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Salah gets his first touch near the corner flag but is defended well by Pape Gueye, who dispossesses him easily. As Nasr said, both teams look cagey and cautious so far, though Senegal appear more comfortable on the ball.

(12 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Marmoush is taken down by Koulibaly after a through ball finds him. Was he the last man? Nasr thinks so, but I am not convinced as there was defensive cover. Koulibaly will miss the final if Senegal go through. He also missed the 2019 final, which makes this even more heartbreaking for him. The free kick was easily dealt by Senegal.

(17 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Jackson cuts inside and looks to generate power, but he loses his balance and sends the shot over the bar.

(19 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Koulibaly was down for a while and the game was stopped for about a minute. He is down again now, and it does not look like he can continue.

(22 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Mamadou Sarr comes on for Koulibaly. The centre back plays for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg and is on loan from Premier League club Chelsea.

(25 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye is trying to cause problems for Egypt down the right, but they have defended him well so far.

(27 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Attia has made a couple of good challenges in the middle of the park. Senegal wanted a foul there, but the referee judged the tackle to be clean.

Mane produces a nice turn in midfield before finding Nicolas Jackson, who lays it off to Habib Diarra. His effort from outside the box is weak and deflected, and the keeper handles it easily. Another attempt follows, with Pape Gueye’s right footed shot from the left side of the box saved.

(33 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Senegal are attacking constantly down the left with Mane and Jackson, with Diouf also joining in from full back. His cross is cleared for a corner, which Egypt deal with comfortably.

(38 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Salah brings down Mane from behind as he tries to counterattack. Tempers flare in the dugout, with a brief rift between the two coaching staffs. Both head coaches step in and ask their benches to calm down.

(42 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Diarra is shown a yellow card for dissent and looks perplexed by the decision. He will also miss the final if Senegal progress. The referee has called both Hassan and Thiaw over to calm things down.

(43 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Mohamed Salah wins a free kick on the right wing and takes it himself. Mane is the only one in the wall, but the delivery goes unattended and runs through for a goal kick.

(45+1 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Senegal won a corner in added time, but Mane changed the taker and the referee blew for half time. That felt so childish. They had a chance to put one last ball into the box before the break and wasted it.

Senegal have controlled possession and created more attempts in the first half, but the Egyptian keeper has not really been tested. Egypt, meanwhile, have not had a single shot, and Mendy remains untroubled.

Egypt are sitting deep and staying compact, but they can be dangerous on the counter with the pace of Marmoush and Salah, as shown in the moment that earned Koulibaly a yellow. For now, Egypt seem to be waiting for their moment, while Senegal continue to probe. Let’s see what the second half brings.

All three bookings have gone to players who were one caution away from suspension. Hossam Abdelmaguid will miss the final for Egypt if they get there, while Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Habib Diarra will also be sidelined if they progress. A few others are also walking the suspension tightrope.

We are back underway in Tangier. Both teams have made changes, with Trezeguet replacing Fatouh for Egypt, while Senegal have taken off Diarra and brought on Camara.

This game has felt strangely similar to these sides’ meetings in 2022. Back then, after tense 90 minutes and extra time, Senegal edged it on penalties in both the Afcon final and the World Cup qualifier.

(46 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Trezeguet could be lining up as a very attack minded wing back in this system. Egypt get forward after some good hold up play from Marmoush, and Trezeguet joins the attack. For a few moments, Egypt enjoy some possession, but they do not make much of it.

(49 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Sarr has done a good job since coming on for the injured Koulibaly.

(54 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Three shots in a row for Senegal, all from outside the box as they struggle to get close to Egypt’s area. Mane wins a corner with his wing play after his cross is blocked. From the resulting short corner, he finds Camara outside the box, but his effort goes straight into the keeper’s hands.

(58 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

There was a brief VAR check after a slight elbow from Trezeguet on a Senegal defender before the corner was taken. Egypt are conceding far too many corners and one of them could eventually hurt them. The delivery into the box caused a bit of chaos, but Egypt managed to clear their lines in the end.

(61 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Salah is being pocketed by Diouf here. A rare chance for him to cause trouble on the right wing, but the West Ham full back does well and even wins a free kick. Egypt just cannot find any rhythm at the moment.

(63 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Mane is being tripled up there. Ndiaye tries to beat Trezeguet on the other wing, but Trezeguet defends well in that moment. Egypt are sitting really deep now.

(69 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Senegal are knocking on the door. Egypt have defended everything well so far, and they do it again here. Diouf’s delivery is not great. That makes it seven corners for Senegal, and most of them have been below par.

(73 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

What a strike that was from Senegalese talisman. A blocked shot from Camara falls to Mane at the edge of the box. It bounces off his chest, with some appeals for handball, and sits up perfectly for him. Mane then fires a powerful effort into the low near corner, beating El Shenawy with ease. It's ironic that Senegal has scored from outside the box

(78 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Zizo comes on for Rabia and Egypt will switch to a front three now. Remember, they haven't had an attempt until now.

(81 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Egypt had been sitting very deep and trying to absorb pressure throughout the game. They seemed to be playing for a 0-0, but one moment of brilliance from Mane changed everything. There was a bit of fortune in how the ball fell to him, but he still had plenty of work to do. Mane is haunting Salah again

(86 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Egypt are trying now, but it might be too late. They probably should have done this earlier, and even now they have managed just one attempt. Senegal are managing the game well now.

(90 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Senegal made right subs at the right time to see off the game. Ciss came for Gueye before the injury time started

(90+1 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

Good play around the box from Egypt before Marmoush unleashes a powerful strike, but it goes straight at Mendy.

(90+4 min Egypt 0 Senegal 0)

That is it. Senegal are through to their third AFCON final in the last four tournaments. Egypt fall at the semi final stage and will contest the third place play off for the first time since 1984.

Senegal booked their place in the AFCON 2025 final with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Egypt in a thrilling semifinal clash in Tangier. Sadio Mané scored the decisive goal with just 12 minutes remaining, latching onto a loose ball in the box and firing past goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy to secure passage to Sunday's final, the third time in recent encounters former Liverpool star has pipped current Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Egypt in decisive moments, including the 2021 AFCON final and 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The Lions of Teranga dominated proceedings throughout, controlling the possession and creating the better situations, while Egypt could manage only one shot on target in a disappointing display that saw Mohamed Salah and co fail to break down a resolute Senegal defence. The victory sends Senegal through to face the winner of the Nigeria vs Morocco semifinal, as they seek to add another continental crown to their collection.