SENEGAL booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
This after edging past old rivals Egypt with a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Wednesday night's semi-final at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier.
From the opening whistle, the Lions of Teranga stamped their authority on the match.
They enjoyed most of the possession, moving the ball confidently across the park and patiently probing for gaps in a well-organised Egyptian defence.
However, the Pharaohs stood firm, absorbing the pressure and frustrating Senegal's attacking efforts.
Despite Senegal's dominance, clear-cut chances were hard to come by in the first half. Egypt was content to sit deep and defend in numbers, while Senegal struggled to find the final pass.
As a result, both sides went into the break deadlocked at 0-0, with neither goalkeeper seriously tested.
The second half burst into life as Senegal raised the tempo and pushed harder in search of the opening goal.
Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was called into action on several occasions and produced a string of crucial saves to keep his side in the contest, much to the relief of the Egyptian bench.
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But the resistance was finally broken when Senegal's talisman Sadio Mané stepped up.
The 33-year-old attacker unleashed a stunning long-range effort that flew past El Shenawy, leaving the keeper stranded on the turf.
The goal sent the Senegalese supporters into wild celebrations and underlined Mané's importance on the biggest stage.
Egypt struggled to respond as Senegal continued to control proceedings. Remarkably, the Pharaohs went the full 90 minutes without registering a single meaningful attempt on goal, allowing Senegal goalkeeper édouard Mendy to enjoy a relatively quiet evening between the posts.
Egypt managed their first shot on target only in the dying minutes, but it was too little, too late.
The final whistle confirmed a narrow but deserved victory for Senegal, courtesy of Mané's decisive strike.
This result sees Senegal reach the Afcon semi-finals for the sixth time, having previously achieved the feat in 1990, 2002, 2006, 2019, and 2021. They have gone on to reach the final on three occasions, in 2002, 2019, and 2021.
The Lions of Teranga will now turn their focus to Sunday's final on 18 January at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where they will be hoping to lift their second continental title and cement their status as one of Africa's football powerhouses.
