AFCON 2025: Morocco overpower Cameroon as Ndiaye fires Senegal into Semis

The Atlas Lions and the Teranga Lions booked their places in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 on Friday night, following hard-fought victories over Cameroon and Mali respectively.

Playing in Rabat and Tangier, tournament hosts Morocco and reigning African champions Senegal underlined their credentials as serious title contenders.

Morocco produced one of their most commanding performances of the tournament as they defeated Cameroon 2–0 under the floodlights at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Goals from Brahim Díaz and Ismail Saibari sealed a historic victory that sent the home crowd into raptures and kept alive Morocco’s dream of a second AFCON title.

Coming into the quarter-final under pressure after an unconvincing Round of 16 display against Tanzania, the Atlas Lions responded emphatically.

From the opening whistle, Walid Regragui’s side pressed aggressively, dominated possession and pinned Cameroon deep in their own half.

Their dominance was rewarded in the 26th minute when tournament talisman Brahim Díaz struck again.

The Real Madrid forward showed superb anticipation to guide the ball into the net with his thigh after Ayoub El Kaabi flicked on Achraf Hakimi’s corner.

It was Díaz’s fifth goal of the tournament, making him only the second player in AFCON history, after Ghana’s Osei Kofi, to score in five consecutive matches.

Morocco continued to dictate the tempo and nearly doubled their lead before the break when El Kaabi was released through on goal, only to find the side netting.

Cameroon improved after halftime and showed greater attacking intent, but a disciplined Moroccan defence limited their clear-cut chances.

Georges-Kevin N’Koudou came closest for the Indomitable Lions, narrowly missing the target with a diving header from a corner.

The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute. From an Abde Ezzalzouli free-kick, Nayef Aguerd cleverly redirected the ball to Ismail Saibari at the back post, and the midfielder calmly swept his effort into the bottom corner to make it 2–0.

From there, Morocco controlled the game with composure, sealing a famous victory that ended their long-standing AFCON hoodoo against Cameroon.

The hosts will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Algeria and Nigeria.

Earlier in Tangier, Senegal edged past Mali 1–0 in a tense and fiercely contested West African derby to secure their own place in the semi-finals.

Iliman Ndiaye scored the only goal of the match in the 27th minute, capitalising on a goalkeeping error by Mali’s Djigui Diarra to finish from close range.

The contest was finely balanced until the closing moments of the first half, when Mali captain Yves Bissouma was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in stoppage time.

Reduced to ten men, Mali showed great resilience in the second half, defending bravely and relying on an outstanding performance from Diarra, who made several key saves to keep his side in contention.

Senegal, guided by coach Pape Thiaw, controlled possession and managed the game intelligently, showing the composure of champions to see out the victory.

Mali exited the tournament with pride after a courageous performance, while Senegal marched on to the last four, where they will meet the winner between record champions Egypt and holders Côte d’Ivoire.

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