Senegal beat Mali 1-0 to reach AFCON 2025 semifinal where defending champions Ivory Coast or record winners Egypt await.

Recalled striker Iliman Ndiaye scored in the first half to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over 10-man Mali in Tangiers on Friday in the first 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal.

Mali hopes were dealt a severe blow in first-half added time when Yves Bissouma was sent off after being shown a second yellow card.

The only goal followed a blunder by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, who then made a string of superb saves to prevent Senegal increasing their lead.

Senegal now face defending champions Ivory Coast or record seven-time winners Egypt, who meet on Saturday, in the semifinals.

Malian Lassine Sinayoko appealed for a penalty just three minutes into the first half, alleging he was fouled by Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who was back after a one-match suspension.

However, the South African referee waved play on, and VAR confirmed his decision was correct. Big-screen replays showed Sinayoko was guilty of simulation.

Mali captain Bissouma was yellow-carded midway through the half for fouling veteran Senegal striker and twice African player of the year Sadio Mane.

Sinayoko then broke clear only to be foiled by a superb sliding tackle from fellow French Ligue 1 player Krepin Diatta.

The deadlock was broken after 27 minutes on a cold, cloudy evening in the Mediterranean city thanks to Ndiaye.

He was involved three times in a move which ended with goalkeeper Djigui Diarra allowing a Krepin Diarra cross to slip under his body, and Ndiaye struck the loose ball into the net.

While the goal was a gift, it gave Senegal a deserved lead as they had dominated possession in only the second AFCON clash between the countries. The first was drawn at the group stage in 2004.

Pape Gueye, who scored twice for Senegal in the last-16 victory over Sudan, was just off target with a shot from outside the box.

Then, for the second successive knockout match, Mali were reduced to 10 men before half-time with Bissouma shown a second yellow card, followed by a red.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder fouled Idrissa Gueye in midfield, and Malian pleas for the incident to be reviewed by VAR were rejected.

Mali displayed tremendous spirit when reduced to 10 men against Tunisia in the round of 16, and it was evident again against the Senegalese as the second half progressed.

They came close to levelling on 55 minutes when defender Abdoulaye Diaby advanced for a free-kick. His close-range shot brought a reflex save from former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Diarra atoned for his first-half blunder by making several superb saves to keep alive Malian dreams of winning a maiden AFCON title.

With 15 minutes of regular time remaining, scorer Ndiaye was substituted. In his place came 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward Ibrahim Mbaye, whose goal sealed victory over Sudan.

Diarra rescued Mali again as time ticked away, blocking a shot from substitute Pathe Ciss, who had broken clear.

The Malian goalkeeper made another outstanding save during seven minutes of added time by pushing away a Lamine Camara volley.

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has begun a nationwide assessment of market layouts as part of renewed efforts to reduce the growing incidence of fire outbreaks in commercial centres.

The exercise, being carried out in collaboration with the Ghana National Fire Service, is expected to address long-standing safety concerns, including poor access routes, inadequate fire prevention measures, and the absence of effective fire control systems in markets.

Director of NADMO’s Inspectorate Unit, Richard Amo Yartey, disclosed this when the organisation presented relief items to traders affected by the Kasoa New Market fire disaster.

“There’s a serious collaboration ongoing, being coordinated by NADMO, and sensitization in all the markets across the country has been heightened. This is one of the ways to ensure the prevention. So, we are actively working with all authorities to ensure that fire prevention is heightened in this country. The reconstruction will seek to look at all these things and then cover all the gaps that were identified,” he said.

In addition to the national review, local authorities in the Awutu Senya East Municipality have announced plans to redesign the Kasoa New Market and other commercial hubs to withstand future disasters.

The Member of Parliament for the area, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, said technical assessments are already underway to guide the reconstruction process and improve emergency preparedness within the market.

“Since yesterday, we’ve had consultants on the ground here to survey the place, to measure up the place, and to do some paperworks. These paperworks would include a reconstruction of the market, this area that got burnt, which would include a fire station and fire hydrants. The fire hydrants would not just be here; they would be within certain specific places of the market,” she said.

Authorities say the redesigned market will prioritise safety infrastructure to ensure faster response times and minimise losses in the event of future fire incidents.