Senegal v Egypt live: Afcon 2025 latest score and semi-final updates – UK Times

‘7: Abdelmaguid is first into the book and it’s very early! And rather soft, too, for a shirt-pull. Egypt’s players surround the ref in protest.

Senegal have a free-kick… Yasser Ibrahim heads it behind for a Senegal corner.

‘5: The flag goes up for offside against Mane. So far Egypt have taken a very defensive formation, with Senegal pressing high.

Brief break in play as Ashour goes down after an aerial duel with Idrissa Gueye.

‘2: Senegal get us underway and Mane immediately goes for a break down the left, but Abdelmaguid sticks doggedly to his man.

A lovely moment as Mane and Salah – who famously didn’t have the closest relationship at Liverpool – share a hug before this monumental semi-final.

The players are out on the pitch and the reception is raucous. The Grand Stade de Tanger looks to have a much healthier crowd in attendance than for some matches earlier in the tournament.

Time for the anthems and some questionable singing from the players…

Senegal XI: Mendy, Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf, Gana Gueye, P. Gueye, Diarra, Ndiaye, Jackson, Mane.

Egypt XI: M El-Shennawy, Ibrahim, Fatouh, Abdelmaguid, Rabia, Hany, Fathy, Attia, Ashour, Salah, Marmoush

Mo Salah and Sadio Mane emerged as two of Africa’s best ever players from the beginning of their productive spells together at Liverpool, and the duo face off again this evening in a match that could define both of their legacies on the continent.

Salah could well lay claim to being the best player to come out of the continent – though Samuel Eto’o would likely have something to say about that – and while his exploits at club level speak for themselves, some on the continent might contest that a player cannot lay claim to be the greatest without an Afcon title to their name.

Salah has famously lost two Afcon finals too, in 2017 and 2021, and at the age of 33 this could be his last chance to win the tournament.

And while Mane will want to take part in another final, he has no such worries about his own legacy, having scored the winning spot kick in the 2021 final between these two nations.

Mane called that final win “the best day of my life”, while Salah recently remarked that “nobody, even in Egypt, wants to win this trophy more than me”.

The Africa Cup of Nations is nearing its climax with the semi-finals set to bring the drama, and every game will be available to watch in the United Kingdom across Channel 4.

The broadcaster has secured exclusive rights to the 24-team tournament and will show every game on Channel 4, E4 or 4Seven, or online on Channel 4’s streaming service.

Hosts Morocco are also the tournament favourites, but the Africa Cup of Nations still looks wide open with Senegal, Nigeria and Egypt all harbouring realistic ambitions of lifting the crown.