Morocco dominated Friday’s quarterfinal at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, beating Cameroon 2-0 to reach their first AFCON semifinal since 2004.
DÃaz scored in his fifth straight match—a record unmatched since 1968—while becoming Morocco’s top scorer in a single tournament.
Cameroon pushed for a penalty that referee Dahane Beida denied without VAR, sparking frustration from coach Samuel Eto’o and fans.
The win sets up a semifinal against Algeria or Nigeria on January 14, two victories from Morocco’s first title since 1976.
SENEGAL VS MALI
Senegal defeated 10-man Mali 1-0 in a tepid Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal in Tanger on Friday to become the first team to seal their place in the last four, with Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye settling the contest with a close-range first-half finish after an error from goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Iliman Ndiaye pounced on a Mali goalkeeping error in the first half to give Senegal the lead, and they never looked like losing it.
The 2019 champions Senegal, who defeated Sudan 3-1 in the Last 16, remain in Tanger for Wednesday’s semifinal, while Mali, who had Yves Bissouma sent off in first-half stoppage time, return home without winning a match at this tournament.
The decisive moment of the match came in the 29th minute, when Diarra, stooping to collect Krépin Diatta’s cross from the right flank, somehow failed to take control of the ball and allowed it to bobble past, and under, him into the box.
The onrushing Ndiaye reacted quickest to touch home from five yards and send the Teranga Lions into only their third AFCON semi since 2006.
Mali, who entered this fixture with the worst disciplinary record at the tournament, had Tottenham Hotspur’s Bissouma dismissed late in the first half for a second yellow when he tangled with Idrissa Gana Gueye, leaving the West Africans up against it as they went in search of an equaliser.
Whereas the Eagles went down to 10 after 26 minutes in their Last 16 match against Tunisia and were able to battle back to 1-1 before holding their opponents and advancing on penalties, they were unable to find a way back into the contest here, with Senegal going closest to extending their lead.
Things got from bad to worse for Mali as another influential midfielder, Amadou Haidara, was replaced early in the second half after failing to recover from a shoulder injury picked up after falling to the ground in a challenge with Diatta.
By this point, goalkeeper Diarra had embarked on his one-man mission to keep Mali alive in the contest, saving from left-sider El Hadji Malick Diouf late in the first half, denying him with a magnificent reaction stop, before blocking a Gueye effort from range after the break.
The 10 men of Mali threatened sporadically, however, with Édouard Mendy called into action soon after the break, although Mane forced Diarra into action 23 minutes from time as he cut inside and sent an effort straight at the newly inspired Mali stopper.
Diarra ended the match having denied Senegal on seven occasions, although nothing could quite atone for that hideous first-half error which ultimately keeps the Teranga Lions on course for their second AFCON title.
