Mali’s luck ran out on Friday evening as they were edged out of the Africa Cup of Nations by Senegal in Tangier. Just one goal was the difference on the night, as Illiman Ndiaye took advantage of a howler from Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
The Young Africans shotstopper spilled a cross directly into Ndiaye’s path in the six-yard box, and he made no mistake tapping the eventual winner home.
Senegal were far from perfect on the night, but did just enough to keep their heads above water. They were helped to that end by Yves Bissouma, who was shown a pair of yellow cards in the first half to leave his team-mates shorthanded.
Diarra had been the villain in the first half, but he almost turned hero in the second as he came up with a rash of impressive saves to keep the Eagles in it, but the nine outfielders in front of him could not match the feat.
Senegal will face either Egypt or Ivory Coast in the semi-final, with their opponent to be decided on Saturday. Catch up with the action as it happened below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis.