AFCON 2025: Senegal Edge Egypt In High-Stakes Thriller To Clinch Final Spot

In a callback to the 2021 AFCON final, Senegal once again overcame Egypt with a 1-0 victory to secure their spot in the 2026 championship match.

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This win continues a dominant run for the Lions of Teranga, who have now gone unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 matches against African teams.

The opening half was defined more by tension than clinical play. While Egypt failed to threaten the goal entirely, Senegal struggled to make their possession count; Mohamed El Shenawy easily handled attempts from Habib Diarra and Pape Gueye, and Nicolas Jackson missed a clear opportunity by firing over the bar.

Despite their control of the game, Senegal’s victory came at a high price: captain Kalidou Koulibaly was forced off with an injury, and both he and Diarra received yellow cards that rule them out of the upcoming final.

Following the halftime break, Senegal maintained their control over the match but remained frustrated by Egypt’s resilient backline. In an attempt to bypass the wall of defenders, the Teranga Lions shifted to long-range efforts, including a strike from substitute Lamine Camara that was easily gathered by goalkeeper El Shenawy.

The deadlock finally snapped in the 78th minute when the ball broke to Sadio Mané. The star forward capitalized on the opportunity, curling a clinical strike into the net from the edge of the area.

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This goal marked his fifth involvement in a score during the tournament and brought his career AFCON total to 11 goals—moving him into a tie with his former Liverpool strike partner, Mohamed Salah.

Throughout the match, Egypt failed to look like a threat to level the score, allowing Senegal to cruise through the final minutes. With this victory, Senegal secured their third final appearance in the last five AFCON tournaments.

In contrast, the Pharaohs were soundly prevented from reaching a milestone 10th final, finishing the game with a disappointing tally of only one shot on target.

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