Egypt managed just a solitary shot on target as they were knocked out of the AFCON semi-finals by Senegal. A match strikingly devoid of quality was settled late on by Sadio Mane, who fired low into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to give Senegal the lead. Egypt had been dour and negative to that point - they parked from the off and looked exclusively to attack on the counter. Finally forced to come out of their shell with ten minutes remaining, a first shot on target finally came in the 95th minutes, but Edouard Mendy was equal to it. Too little, too late.
Mohamed Salah put in a thoroughly disappointing performance, and his wait for an international honour will continue. The 33-year-old completed the full match but managed just 30 touches of the ball, took no shots, and completed just nine passes.
Senegal will face either Nigeria or host nation Morocco in the final, with the opponent to be decided later this evening. The loser, though, will head to Saturday’s third-place play-off. Catch up with the action as it happened below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.
Senegal vs Egypt latest news
- GOAL! Mane finally opens the scoring
- Senegal XI
- Egypt XI
FULL TIME: Senegal 1-0 Egypt
18:58 , Arthur FerridgeThat does it! Senegal go through!
Senegal 1-0 Egypt
18:57 , Arthur Ferridge90+5mins: Marmoush wants to be the hero and gets a good shot away, but Mendy makes the save. It is Egypt’s first shot on target of the day.
Senegal 1-0 Egypt
18:55 , Arthur Ferridge90+4mins: Senegal are just seconds away from the AFCON final...
Senegal 1-0 Egypt
18:53 , Arthur Ferridge90mins: Five minutes have been added on here. Can Senegal hold on?
Senegal 1-0 Egypt
18:47 , Arthur Ferridge85mins: Do not scratch your eyes - Egypt have had a shot!
Senegal 1-0 Egypt
18:42 , Arthur Ferridge80mins: We should be in for a bit of action from Egypt now they’re chasing the game.
GOAL! Senegal 1-0 Egypt | Mane '78
18:40 , Arthur FerridgePraise be, we have a goal! Mane fires into the bottom corner from range, and, given Egypt are still yet to have a shot, that really should be that.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:38 , Arthur Ferridge77mins: El Shenawy catches Camara’s cross.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:34 , Arthur Ferridge72mins: To give you a real picture of precisely how aimless Senegal have been, their seven shots have so far generated just 0.14 xG.
Egypt, of course, are yet to take a shot.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:33 , Arthur Ferridge71mins: Egypt make a rare foray forward and Marmoush hits a through-ball to Salah, but Niakhate is first to it.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:32 , Arthur Ferridge70mins: Ndiaye wrestles his way to the byline and wins a corner for Senegal, which is taken short, but the training ground move is no more effective than the crosses have been.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:25 , Arthur Ferridge63mins: Egypt are still yet to have a shot on goal.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:19 , Arthur Ferridge57mins: Camara’s low driven effort is caught by El Shenawy. Senegal are on top of Egypt here but are really struggling to actually worry the ‘keeper.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:18 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: Mane breaks to the byline but his cross only results in a corner.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:16 , Arthur Ferridge54mins: Egypt, once again, are equal to the latest Senegal cross, which this time came from Diatta. They have defended well, but Senegal haven’t really tested them.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:14 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: The first clear chance of the half falls the way of Senegal, who win a corner but fail to beat the first man with it.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:11 , Arthur Ferridge49mins: Egypt looking a bit more lively on the ball here, which is not saying much given how impotent they were in the first half.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:09 , Arthur Ferridge47mins: Seems to be a change in shape for Egypt, who look to have moved from a back four to a back five.
2ND HALF: Senegal 0-0 Egypt
18:07 , Arthur FerridgeBack underway! Can one side stamp some authority on this match, or will it be extra time and penalties?
Trezeguet is on for Egypt, replacing El Fotouh.
For Senegal, Camara is on for Diarra, who was on a booking.
H/T: Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:51 , Arthur FerridgeSenegal dawdle in taking the corner and the referee calls for half-time before they get the chance.
A bitty, shapeless first half largely devoid of clear-cut chances.
All to play for!
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:49 , Arthur Ferridge45+4mins: Senegal win a corner at the death...
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:46 , Arthur Ferridge45+1mins: Salah takes a free-kick from the right side of the box, but his cross is all the way through the box.
Four minutes added on here.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:45 , Arthur Ferridge45mins: Marmoush picks the ball up in midfield and bears down on goal, but is tackled far too easily.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:42 , Arthur Ferridge42mins: Diarra is booked and joins Koulibaly in being suspended for the final.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:41 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: A clash of former team-mates as Salah catches Mane and the referee gives Senegal a foul.
Now, though, there’s an awful lot of argy-bargy. Both benches have cleared, and players and coaches are clashing!
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:38 , Arthur Ferridge38mins: Abdelmaguld is at full stretch to block Diouf’s cross and deny Jackson a shooting chance.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:37 , Arthur Ferridge36mins: El Hadji Malick Diouf is different gravy, by the way. Nuno Espirito Santo must be counting down the hours until he can get him back in a West Ham squad.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:34 , Arthur Ferridge33mins: Jackson appears to have been tripped up in the box, but no call comes from the referee. Egypt counter and Marmoush tumbles to the deck, but his appeals are also waved away. Love him or hate him, this referee is nothing if not consistent.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:32 , Arthur Ferridge32mins: Pape Gueye gets a shot off in the box, and El Shenawy makes another comfortable save.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:32 , Arthur Ferridge31mins: Mane inspires a pacey Senegal attack. Diarra shoots from 25 yards or so, but his effort is deflected and bounces into the hands of El Shenawy.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:29 , Arthur Ferridge29mins: Egypt make a rare foray forward, but Hany has drifted into an offside position and Senegal regain possession.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:27 , Arthur Ferridge27mins: Senegal are hovering around the Egypt area, but the Pharaohs are so compact, they can’t find a way through.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:24 , Arthur Ferridge24mins: Just about halfway through the first half now, and neither keeper has really been tested.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:22 , Arthur Ferridge22mins: Koulibaly has hit the deck again. He’ll be hooked here, with Mamadou Sarr coming on to replace him.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:21 , Arthur Ferridge21mins: Koulibaly is back to his feet, and it seems he will attempt to play on.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:20 , Arthur Ferridge20mins: Bad to worse for Koulibaly, who has gone down off the ball with what appears to be a groin injury.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:19 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Jackson shoots high and wide from the edge of the area.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:18 , Arthur Ferridge18mins: Koulibaly will be suspended for the final, should Senegal qualify.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:17 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: Senegal captain Koulibaly is into the book for fouling Marmoush, who would have been through on goal had he got round the former Chelsea man.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:16 , Arthur Ferridge16mins: Diatta overhits a cross to Mane, who can’t quite bring it down.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:15 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: Drop ball to Senegal and we play on.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:15 , Arthur Ferridge14mins: Jackson just attempted to spin Abdelmaguld and clattered into the Egypt defender. Heavy collision, both men are down injured.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:12 , Arthur Ferridge12mins: Diouf is down receiving treatment after blocking a shot with a sensitive part of the body. Nobody wants to see that.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:10 , Arthur Ferridge11mins: Salah gets what may be his first touch of the game, but he fails to find Marmoush with his flick on.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:08 , Arthur Ferridge8mins: A Senegal corner falls to Diarra at the edge of the box, and his ill-advised shot is well over the bar.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:06 , Arthur Ferridge6mins: Abdelmaguld is shown the yellow card for pulling Jackson’s shirt.
This has been a lively start from Senegal - Egypt are reeling.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:05 , Arthur Ferridge5mins: Ashour needs a moment to recover after an awkward aerial collision, but he’s fine to play on.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:04 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Gueye looks to Mane with a long ball over the top, but the winger is flagged marginally offside.
Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:01 , Arthur Ferridge1min: Mane’s first contribution is to play Jackson into space on the left flank, but the play breaks down as the striker’s pass is cut out.
KICK-OFF! Senegal 0-0 Egypt
17:00 , Arthur FerridgeWe are UNDERWAY in Tangier!
The anthems are done and dusted - time to get this, the first AFCON semi-final underway!
Here we go
16:53 , Arthur FerridgeThe squads are out...
It is time for the national anthems to be sung, with kick-off just seven minutes away now!
Team news reminder
16:50 , Arthur FerridgeTen minutes to kick-off! Here’s a reminder of the team news.
Senegal XI: Mendy; Niakhite, Koulibaly, Malick Diouf, Diatta, Gana Gueye, Diarra, Ndiaye, Mane, Jackson
Egypt XI: Elshenawy; Ibrahim, Abdelmaguid, Ramy Rabia, Hany, Attia, Emam Ashour, Fathy, Fatouh, Salah, Marmoush
Salah and Mane reunited
16:46 , Arthur FerridgeMane and Salah are best known for their collaborative work in Liverpool red, but are opponents here today.
The pair, both 33, have faced one another five times, and Salah has only beaten his opposite man once.
Mane back in
16:39 , Arthur FerridgeVeteran winger Sadio Mane leads the line for Senegal today.
He has a goal and three assists to show for his five appearances this tournament.
Can he add to that tally today?
TRANSFER NEWS
16:33 , Arthur FerridgeLooking away from Tangier for a moment, Conor Gallagher has completed his £35m move from Atletico Madrid to Tottenham.
“I'm so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club,” Gallagher said.
“I wanted to be a Spurs player and thankfully the club felt the same. It was very easy, it happened very quickly and I'm ready to get on the pitch.”
Egypt squad
16:25 , Arthur FerridgeThere are no surprises in the Egypt squad, really.
Trezeguet and Hamzi are both absent again, as they were for the Ivory Coast win.
Marmoush and Salah start up top again after both scored in the defeat of the Elephants.
Senegal squad
16:16 , Arthur FerridgeInterestingly, there is no Pape Sarr in the Senegal XI. He scored a brace against Sudan, but was profligate in the win over Mali.
Nicolas Jackson will hope to get back on the scoresheet as he returns to the XI.
It is a sarr-studded bench, featuring Ismaila, Mamadou, and Pape Matar.
SENEGAL CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
16:06 , Arthur FerridgeSenegal XI: Mendy; Niakhite, Koulibaly, Malick Diouf, Diatta, Gana Gueye, Diarra, Ndiaye, Mane, Jackson
Subs: Diouf, Diaw, Sarr, Mendy, Seck, Jakobs, Matar Sarr, Ciss, Camara, Mbaye, Sarr, Ndiaye, Dia, Diallo, Sabaly
EGYPT CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
16:04 , Arthur FerridgeEgypt XI: Elshenawy; Ibrahim, Abdelmaguid, Ramy Rabia, Hany, Attia, Emam Ashour, Fathy, Fatouh, Salah, Marmoush
Jackson's impressive campaign
15:54 , Arthur FerridgeAs Liam Delap struggles to find his groove at Chelsea, Nicolas Jackson is enjoying his loan spell at Bayern Munich.
The Senegal striker has five goals in as many starts for the Bavarian outfit.
He has been in and out of the side for Senegal this campaign, though, only appearing in three matches.
Minutes have been scarce, sure, but he has returned two goals and could lay claim to a starting spot here.
Salah eyes golden boot
15:46 , Arthur FerridgeAFCON provided Mo Salah with a welcome escape from Merseyside.
He found himself at the centre of a media firestorm before his departure after threatening to leave the club in a bombshell post-match interview.
But that did not stop him from donning the captain’s armband for the Pharaohs.
He sits third in the golden boot race, too, with four goals in as many appearances. He is level with Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen in that regard, but trails Brahim Diaz of Morocco by one.
What's next?
15:38 , Arthur FerridgeRegardless of tonight’s result, both Senegal and Egypt will play one more match at AFCON.
The winner, of course, will go to the final, while the loser goes to the third-place play-off - famously, the match nobody wants to play in.
Their opponents, you ask? It all hinges on the result of Nigeria vs Morocco, which kicks off at 8pm GMT this evening.
Click here for everything you need to know about Nigeria vs Morocco!
Last time out: Egypt 3-2 Ivory Coast
15:30 , Arthur FerridgeSenegal’s quarter-final defeat of Mali may have been a cagey affair, but Egypt’s win over Ivory Coast was a thriller...
Egypt are into the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after they came out on top in a thrilling quarter-final against the Ivory Coast.
Mohamed Salah netted the decisive goal as the Pharaohs reached the last four with a 3-2 win, where they will take on Senegal, the 2021 champions, on Wednesday.
Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush was also on target, opening the scoring for Hossam Hassan’s side inside the first four minutes at the Stade Adrar in Agadir.
In a hotly-anticipated encounter, it was Egypt, who have now bettered their 2023 tournament by two rounds, who started the brighter, seizing upon some nervy Ivorian defending to snatch the lead through Marmoush’s composed finish, after he had been sent through by Emam Ashour.
It was two just after the half-hour when Ramy Rabia rose highest at the far post to redirect Salah’s corner back from whence it came, with the looping effort dropping into the corner beyond Yahia Fofana.
That second goal came as a hammer blow for the Emerse Fae’s defending champions, who had grown in confidence after their initial setback.
READ THE FULL MATCH REPORT HERE!
Last time out: Senegal 1-0 Mali
15:23 , Arthur FerridgeThere was only one goal in it as Senegal edged out ten-man Mali in the quarter-finals. Catch up on the action...
Yves Bissouma was sent off as Senegal knocked Mali out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Tangier on Friday evening.
Illiman Ndiaye scored the opener for Senegal midway through a bitty opening period, and despite the rain-soaked second half being beset with goalscoring opportunities, it eventually proved the winner.
Mali reached the quarter-final stage by drawing all four of their opening AFCON outings, pipping Tunisia on penalties in the round of 16.
They were yet to score more than once in a match at the tournament, too, but they seemed to run out of luck against Senegal: Edouard Mendy made a handful of important saves, Amadou Haidara went off injured, and Tottenham midfielder Bissouma was shown a needless second yellow card in first-half injury-time.
READ THE FULL MATCH REPORT HERE!
How did we get here: Egypt
15:15 , Arthur FerridgeEgypt are fully deserving of their spot at the business end of this tournament, having impressed throughout the competition.
They have not quite matched Senegal’s impressive performances, scoring less and conceding more, but stand a serious chance of reaching the final here.
Here are their AFCON 2025 results in full.
Group stage
Egypt 2-1 Zimbabwe
Egypt 1-0 South Africa
Egypt 0-0 Angola
Round of 16: Egypt 3-1 Benin
Quarter-finals: Egypt 3-2 Ivory Coast
Semi-finals: Senegal vs Egypt
How did we get here: Senegal
15:07 , Arthur FerridgeSenegal came into this tournament with one of it’s strongest squads, so it is no great surprise that they have made it to this stage of the competition.
They produced a colossal statement of intent by beating Kenya 8-0 in a pre-tournament friendly, and have only conceded twice since.
Here are their AFCON 2025 results in full.
Group stage
Senegal 3-0 Botswana
Senegal 1-1 DR Congo
Senegal 3-0 Benin
Round of 16: Senegal 3-1 Sudan
Quarter-finals: Senegal 1-0 Mali
Semi-finals: Senegal vs Egypt
Standard Sport prediction: Lions of Teranga to the final
14:59 , Arthur FerridgeAfter suffering losses in the AFCON final and in World Cup qualification four years ago, Egypt have an extra incentive to beat Senegal and take a step closer to clinching an eighth title.
The Pharaohs are considered the underdogs for this one, though that will not faze this side one bit - as proven against Ivory Coast in the last round.
However, there seems to be a psychological block when it comes to facing Senegal and we expect the Les Lions to come out on top in a very close semi-final.
Senegal to win, 1-0.
Egypt early team news: Trezeguet a doubt
14:51 , Arthur FerridgeEgypt, meanwhile, came out on top in a five-goal thriller against Ivory Coast without Mahmoud Trezeguet and Mohamed Hamdi for the quarter-final tie.
The former remains a doubt but the latter is set to miss out once again.
Salah and Marmoush both scored in the win over Ivory Coast and should continue up front as a twin pairing, with Hossam Hassan set to keep faith with a 3-4-1-2 formation.
Senegal early team news: No injury concerns
14:43 , Arthur FerridgePape Thiaw has no fresh injury concerns or suspension worries ahead of the semi-final as the Senegal squad is in very good shape after five games.
Edouard Mendy is expected to keep his place in goal as he goes in search of a fourth clean sheet at AFCON 2025. In front of him could be the same back four that started the quarter-final win over Mali.
There are decisions to make in midfield and attack as the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Ismaila Sarr and Nicolas Jackson are all pushing to start, though Mane should keep his place.
How to watch Senegal vs Egypt
14:35 , Arthur FerridgeTV channel: Every match of the tournament will be broadcast across Channel 4’s network.
The game will be broadcast on E4, with coverage starting at 4.30pm ahead of kick-off at 5pm.
Live stream: UK viewers will be able to stream the semi-final on All 4.
Live coverage: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog! You’re already here - don’t go anywhere.
Good afternoon
14:29 , Arthur FerridgeHello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Senegal vs Egypt in the AFCON semi-finals!
A match loaded with storylines awaits. with a spot in the final on the line. Who moves on, and who will face the dreaded third-place play-off?
All will be revealed! Kick-off is at 5pm, with team news due in around 4pm.
Stick with us!
