Superior Senegal advance past Mali to Afcon semifinals

By Mark Gleeson in Tangiers

Iliman Ndiaye scored the only goal as Senegal booked a semifinal berth at the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time in the last four tournaments, beating 10-man Mali 1-0 in the last eight on Friday.

Ndiaye netted after 27 minutes, taking advantage of a goalkeeping howler to put Senegal ahead in a tense derby against their west African neighbours.

Mali were reduced to 10 men for the second half after captain Yves Bissouma was sent off for a second caution on the stroke of half time. He was booked first for a clumsy challenge in the 25th minute and was dismissed after a needless foul on Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Mali were down to 10 men from the 26th minute of their previous clash against Tunisia and still managed to squeeze through on penalties but there was no recovery this time around against a polished Senegal.

Reuters