By Edi Umoh
Hosts Morocco and Senegal secured their tickets after defeating their opponents in the 2025 African Cup of Nations quarterfinal to book their places in the last four on Friday.
Morocco defeated Cameroon 2-o goals despite Cameroon getting 58 % against 42% ball possession at Rabat.
Senegal knocked out 10-man Mali in a tepid 1-0 goal in Tangier to become the first team to seal their place in the last four.
This was as Brahim Diaz kept up his remarkable Africa Cup of Nations scoring record and Ismael Saibari was also on target as hosts Morocco beat Cameroon 2-0 in their quarter-final showdown on Friday to keep their title dreams alive..
Diaz’s fifth goal in five matches at the tournament was followed by Saibari’s strike in the second half, with Morocco well worth their victory as they progress to a semi-final against the winner of Saturday’s clash between Algeria and Nigeria.
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That promises to be a stiffer test for Walid Regragui’s team than that posed by Cameroon, who were hoping to spring an upset having already exceeded expectations in coming this far after a troubled build-up to the tournament.
The Indomitable Lions, five-time African champions, created little with Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo struggling to make an impact.
Morocco, Africa’s top-ranked team and World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, are under enormous pressure to win the Cup of Nations in front of their own fans, half a century after their last continental title.
There have been doubts as to whether they can handle the weight of expectation, but they remain on course to achieve their objective –- it is the first time Morocco have reached the AFCON semi-finals since they lost the 2004 final to Tunisia.
The hosts were unchanged from their 1-0 last-16 win over Tanzania as they looked to continue an unbeaten record going back to their defeat by South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.
Fresh from knocking out South Africa in the last round here, Cameroon were clearly banking on frustrating Morocco as much as possible in an attempt to turn the crowd against the home side.
Morocco were beaten by the Cameroonians in the semi-finals the last time they hosted AFCON in 1988, but a repeat outcome never really looked likely.
David Pagou’s team were not helped by the early loss of right wing-back Jackson Tchamadeu, who tried to carry on after Noussair Mazraoui landed heavily on his knee before eventually being stretchered off.
Moments after that, Morocco scored. Achraf Hakimi sent in a corner from the right which was headed towards goal by El Kaabi at the near post, and the ball struck Diaz in the groin before going in.
That calmed a frenetic home support, who cheered their team off at the break after seeing Abde Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi come close to adding further goals.
Morocco were on top, and Cameroon’s response was to change formation after the break, from a back three to a 4-2-3-1, in an attempt to create more danger.
Ezzalzouli headed just over from a Hakimi corner, and then a cross by the Paris Saint-Germain star caused havoc in the Cameroon box as Samuel Kotto hooked the ball away from the line.
Mbeumo had appeals for a penalty dismissed by the Mauritanian referee before PSV Eindhoven’s Saibari fired in the killer second goal on 74 minutes after controlling Ezzalzouli’s dead-ball delivery, as Morocco march on to Wednesday’s semis.
Senegal Beat Mali 1-0 to reach semis
Senegal have defeated Mali 1–0 in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 quarter-finals, booking their place in the tournament’s semi-finals.
Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye netted the only goal in the 27th minute of the game.
Mali’s hope were dashed when Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma got a red card in the added minutes from the first half after receiving a second yellow.
The lone goal in the tightly contested West African derby came in a match that saw Senegal continue their impressive run in Morocco.
The win extends Senegal’s dominant record against Mali — the Lions of Teranga are unbeaten in recent history against their neighbours and have progressed to the last four for the fifth time in AFCON history.
Senegal also remain unbeaten in their last 15 AFCON matches, one of the longest streaks in the competition.
Mali entered the quarter-finals with resilience after advancing from the Round of 16 via penalties against Tunisia, but were unable to find the net against Senegal’s organised defence.
The Eagles, who had drawn all their matches in regulation time prior to this clash, now exit the tournament with their hopes of reaching a first semi-final since 2013 dashed.
Senegal’s progression keeps alive their bid for continental glory and sets up a high-stakes semi-final clash as AFCON approaches its final stages.
