Pape Thiaw calls for better finishing despite Senegal's progress

The defending African champions booked their last-four spot in a fiercely contested quarter-final at the Grand Stade de Tanger on Friday, with Iliman Ndiaye's opportunistic first-half strike proving decisive.

The forward pounced in the 27th minute after Malian goalkeeper Djigui Diarra failed to deal with pressure, allowing Senegal to capitalise on a rare defensive lapse.

Despite the narrow scoreline, Thiaw felt the result did not fully reflect Senegal's control during key phases of the match. He acknowledged the quality of the opposition but stressed that a lack of clinical finishing prevented his side from adding to their advantage.

"It was not an easy match because we played against a very talented Mali team, but we achieved our objective," Thiaw told CAF Media.

"The Mali team has good qualities and they created many challenges for us."

Mali's task became even more difficult when Yves Bissouma was dismissed deep into first-half stoppage time after picking up a second yellow card, leaving the Eagles with a mountain to climb.

However, Senegal were unable to fully exploit their numerical advantage, allowing Mali to remain within touching distance until the final whistle.

"If we had been more clinical in front of goal, we could have scored more goals," Thiaw admitted.

"But what is more important today (Friday) is that we qualified for the semi-final. We will look into our errors and correct them for future matches."

Match-winner Ndiaye, who was named Player of the Match, echoed his coach's focus on progress rather than personal accolades.

"I am happy to have won this award, but the most important thing is that we have progressed to the semi-finals," he said.

"We are improving match after match, and now our focus is on preparing properly for the next challenge and delivering for our fans."

With another hard-fought victory secured, Senegal march on - aware that sharper finishing may be required as the tournament reaches its decisive stage.