Senegal 1-0 Egypt: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Sadio Mane dumps seven-time winners out of Africa Cup of Nations at semi-final stage

Sadio Mane scored the only goal of the match as Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday night.

Both sides struggled in the final third of the field in the last-four contest, but Mane came up with the winner in the 78th minute to send Senegal into Sunday's final.

Lions de la Teranga, who are bidding to win AFCON for just the second time in their history, will take on either Nigeria or Morocco in the showpiece event this weekend.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Mane came up trumps for Senegal.

In truth, this was a semi-final that lacked quality for long spells, with both teams finding it tough, but the decisive moment came from Mane in the latter stages.

Senegal have only triumphed in the Africa Cup of Nations once - in 2021 - while Egypt are seven-time winners, last lifting the trophy in 2010 and last making the final in 2021.

Lions de la Teranga fell behind in their last-16 clash with Sudan before triumphing, and they only just about edged past Mali in the quarter-finals, recording a 1-0 win.

This was not a vintage performance from Senegal, but they did enough to get the job done, with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Manchester's Omar Marmoush finding it difficult to make their mark for Egypt.

The Pharaohs only had one shot throughout the whole contest, which is a telling statistic, and they looked incredibly short of the team that had scored six times in their previous two knockout-round clashes.

SENEGAL VS. EGYPT HIGHLIGHTS

Sadio Mane goal vs. Egypt (78th minute, Senegal 1-0 Egypt)

Finally the breakthrough arrives in the 78th minute of the contest, as Mane fires into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty box. Senegal are heading for the final as it stands.

MAN OF THE MATCH - SADIO MANE

Sadio Mané with a BIG goal vs. Egypt in the AFCON semifinals ? pic.twitter.com/eNdOaVXNgb
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 14, 2026

Mane gets the nod here, having had the biggest moment of the semi-final.

The 33-year-old always looked dangerous when he had time and space in the final third of the field, and the ex-Liverpool attacker will now be looking to inspire his side in the final on Sunday.

SENEGAL VS. EGYPT MATCH STATS

Possession: Senegal 63%-37% Egypt

Shots: Senegal 12-3 Egypt

Shots on target: Senegal 4-1 Egypt

Corners: Senegal 6-1 Egypt

Fouls: Senegal 10-11 Egypt

BEST STATS

0.09 - The first half between Senegal and Egypt produced the lowest xG of any half at #AFCON2025. Cagey. pic.twitter.com/0WVFr4Pvau
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

0 - For the first time across 33 matches on record (since 2010), Egypt have failed to record a first half shot in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations game. Nervy. #TotalEnergiesAFCON25 pic.twitter.com/jtKuJkltTH
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

20 - Sadio Mané has been directly involved in more CAF Africa Cup of Nations goals than any other player since his debut and is the first on record (since 2010) to reach 20 goal involvements at the tournament (11 goals, 9 assists). Greatness. #TotalEnergiesAFCON25 pic.twitter.com/eF3buBIdfm
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2026

WHAT NEXT?

Senegal have progressed to the final of the tournament, with Pape Thiaw's side set to take on either Nigeria or Morocco in the showpiece event on Sunday.

As for Egypt, Hossam Hassan's team can now look ahead to the 2026 World Cup, with the nation facing Belgium in their tournament opener on June 15.