‎Morocco down Cameroon, Senegal overcome Mali to seal AFCON semi-final places

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Hosts Morocco and former champions Senegal booked their places in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 after impressive quarter-final victories over Cameroon and Mali respectively on Friday night.
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‎In Rabat, the Atlas Lions powered past Cameroon with a convincing 2-0 win under the floodlights of a packed Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, while earlier in Tangier, Senegal edged a tense West African derby 1-0 against Mali to continue their title push.
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‎Brahim Diaz (26), Ismail Saibari (74)
‎Morocco marched confidently into the last four as goals in either half from Brahim Díaz and Ismail Saibari sealed a memorable victory over the Indomitable Lions.
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‎Coming into the quarter-final under pressure following an unconvincing Round of 16 win against Tanzania, the hosts responded with authority, intensity and belief, spurred on by a raucous home crowd.
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‎Morocco dominated proceedings from the outset, pressing high and pinning Cameroon deep in their own half. Their early dominance paid off in the 26th minute when Díaz opened the scoring for the fifth time at the tournament. The Real Madrid forward instinctively guided the ball into the net with his thigh after Ayoub El Kaabi flicked on Achraf Hakimi’s corner.
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The strike etched Díaz into AFCON history, making him just the second player after Ghana’s Osei Kofi to score in five consecutive matches at the finals.
‎The Atlas Lions continued to control the tempo and could have doubled their lead before the break, but El Kaabi fired into the side netting after being released by Abde Ezzalzouli on the counter.
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‎Cameroon showed more intent after the interval, but they struggled to break down a disciplined Moroccan defence. Their best chance came from a corner when Georges-Kevin N’Koudou’s diving header narrowly missed the target.
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‎Morocco sealed the win in the 74th minute when Saibari swept home from close range after Nayef Aguerd’s clever touch redirected an Ezzalzouli free-kick to the back post. From there, the hosts saw out the match with composure to secure a famous win that ended their long AFCON winless run against Cameroon.
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The victory keeps Morocco firmly on course for a second continental title, with a semi-final clash against either Algeria or Nigeria awaiting.
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‎Earlier in Tangier, Senegal booked their semi-final spot after edging Mali 1-0 in a tightly contested quarter-final.
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‎In a fiery West African derby, the 2021 champions showed maturity and tactical discipline to overcome a resilient Malian side. The decisive moment came in the 27th minute when Iliman Ndiaye capitalised on a goalkeeping error by Djigui Diarra, reacting quickest inside the box to score what proved to be the match-winner.
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‎Mali’s task became more difficult just before half-time when captain Yves Bissouma was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time, forcing the Eagles to play the entire second half with ten men.
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‎Despite the numerical disadvantage, Mali defended bravely and continued to push for an equaliser, with Diarra producing a string of impressive saves to keep the scoreline tight. Senegal, however, controlled possession after the break and managed the closing stages with composure to see out the win.
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‎Ndiaye was named TotalEnergies Man of the Match after marking his first start of the tournament with his first goal, as Senegal advanced to the semi-finals where they will face the winner between Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire.
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