Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has hailed his players’ performance in their 2025 AFCON quarterfinal win over Mali, but says they could have added more goals to the scoreline, SportPremi reports.
The Lions of Teranga sealed a 1-0 win over the 10-man Eagles in their quarterfinal clash on Friday, advancing to the last four of the tournament in Morocco.
However, they were wasteful in front of goal and could have ran away with a bigger margin of victory in the encounter.
Ndiaye strike sends Senegal to 2025 AFCON semifinal
Senegal were favourites heading into their last eight clash against a Mali team that were yet to win a game in normal time.
The 2021 champions took the lead in the 27th minute as Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on a goalkeeping error to slot into the net from close range.
- Read here: Ndiaye fires Senegal to 2025 AFCON last four
Mali captain Yves Bissouma was sent off in first half stoppage-time for receiving a second caution, giving his side an insurmountable challenge.
Senegal dominated the second half, although the Eagles also had chances to score an equalizer in a very entertaining encounter. The Lions of Teranga finished the game with 19 attempts and eight on target, but were only able to score a single goal.
The goal was however enough to seal the victory and ensure that they progress to the semifinal, where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Egypt and defending champions Ivory Coast.
Thiaw reacts to Senegal’s crucial win over Mali
Pape Thiaw took over from the iconic Alou Cisse in 2024 and has now guided Senegal to the last four of the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament.
The Lions of Teranga will be hoping to reach the final and lift the prestigious trophy for a second time in five years, but must first overcome either Ivory Coast or Egypt in their last four clash.
Speaking after the victory, Thiaw hailed his side’s performance, but urged them to become more clinical and make good use of their chances.
“It was not an easy match because we played against a very talented Mali team, but we achieved our objective. The Mali team has good qualities and they created many challenges for us,” Thiaw revealed.
“If we had been more clinical in front of goal, we could have scored more goals, but what is more important today is for us to have qualified for the semi-final. We will look into our errors and look to correct them for our future matches.
“We hope that we will be more efficient in front of goal and have more luck in future.”
