In a tense Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal decided more by costly errors than moments of brilliance, Senegal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over 10-man Mali in Tangier on Friday evening, booking their place in the tournament’s semifinals.
A first-half goalkeeping mistake and a critical red card for Mali’s captain shaped a contest that saw the Teranga Lions advance while extending their unbeaten run at the competition to 16 matches.
The decisive moment came in the 27th minute, born from a cruel error. Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye, restored to the starting lineup, began a move down the right wing before finding Krépin Diatta, whose low cross into the penalty area should have been comfortably collected by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Instead, under the evening rain in Tangier, the ball squirmed under his body and trickled into the six-yard box, where Ndiaye was quickest to react, tapping home from close range.
The goal came after a contentious early incident where Senegal’s returning captain Kalidou Koulibaly appeared to bring down Mali’s Lassine Sinayoko inside the box, but the referee awarded no penalty and the Video Assistant Referee did not intervene.
Mali’s difficult task of finding an equalizer grew exponentially harder just before halftime. Their captain and Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma, who had already been booked for catching Sadio Mané with a raised arm, received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Idrissa Gana Gueye in stoppage time.
The dismissal marked Mali’s third red card in four matches at the tournament, a recurring theme of ill-discipline that ultimately proved too heavy a burden to bear.
Playing with a man advantage for the entire second half, Senegal controlled possession but struggled to put the game to bed, despite creating a host of chances. A revitalized Djigui Diarra embarked on a personal mission of redemption, making a series of superb saves to keep his team in contention.
He tipped a volley from substitute Lamine Camara onto the post in added time and made vital stops to deny Mané and another substitute, Pathé Ciss, who had been clean through on goal. At the other end, Mali, showing admirable spirit, threatened sporadically, forcing Édouard Mendy into a couple of smart saves, but they could not find the breakthrough they managed when reduced to 10 men in the previous round.
The final whistle confirmed Senegal’s progress to their third AFCON semifinal in the last four tournaments. They will remain in Tangier to face the winner of the clash between Egypt and defending champions Ivory Coast on Wednesday.
For Mali, the dream prophesied by a famous marabout before the match, that they would defeat Senegal and bring the trophy to Bamako, came to a heartbreaking end, their tournament concluded without a single victory.
As Senegal coach Pape Thiaw acknowledged, his team achieved its objective despite not being at its clinical best, while Mali boss Tom Saintfiet praised the gallant effort of his players who battled against significant adversity.