The semi-final picture of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations began to take shape on Friday night as the tournament's two biggest favorites, hosts Morocco and defending champions Senegal, booked their places in the last four after navigating a pair of nerve-shredding encounters.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations moved into its decisive phase on Friday as heavyweights Morocco and Senegal became the first teams to secure their spots in the semi-finals.
While the hosts delighted the home crowd with a clinical victory, the defending champions had to grind out a result in a feisty West African derby.
Brahim Díaz Continues Scoring Streak as Morocco Sink Cameroon
Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
Host nation Morocco moved one step closer to ending their 50-year continental title drought with a commanding 2-0 victory over five-time champions Cameroon.
The star of the show was once again Brahim Díaz. The Real Madrid winger maintained his incredible tournament form, scoring in his fifth consecutive match. Díaz broke the deadlock in the 26th minute, pouncing on a loose ball after Ayoub El Kaabi’s initial header was parried.
Cameroon struggled to breach Morocco's disciplined backline, which has yet to concede a goal in open play this tournament. The Atlas Lions sealed the win in the 74th minute when second-half substitute Ismael Saibari finished off a slick passing move with a sublime strike. The victory sets up a semi-final clash for Morocco against the winner of today’s Nigeria vs. Algeria showdown.
Senegal Edge 10-Man Mali in Tangier
Grand Stade de Tanger, Tangier
Earlier in the day, defending champions Senegal secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Mali to keep their title defense on track.
The decisive moment came in the 27th minute when Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on a rare error by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra to slot home from close range. Mali’s mountain became even steeper just before halftime when captain Yves Bissouma was sent off for a second bookable offense, leaving the Eagles with ten men for the entire second half.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Mali fought gallantly and nearly equalized through Abdoulaye Diaby, but Senegal’s Edouard Mendy produced a vital reflex save to preserve the clean sheet.
Super Saturday: The Road to the Semi-Finals Continues
The quarter-final drama concludes today with two massive fixtures featuring the continent's most successful teams.
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Nigeria vs. Algeria (5:00 PM WAT): In Marrakech, the Super Eagles—led by Victor Osimhen—face a Desert Foxes side that has shown the tightest defense in the tournament so far.
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Egypt vs. Ivory Coast (8:00 PM WAT): In Agadir, it is a battle of the giants as Mohamed Salah’s Egypt take on the defending champions, the Elephants of Ivory Coast.
The winners of these two matches will face off in the second semi-final next Wednesday.
