Mane takes dominant Senegal past Egypt into AFCON final

Senegal’s Sadio Mane, right, celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal during their Africa Cup of Nations semifinal match against Egypt, in Tangier, Morocco, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)
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Updated 14 January 2026
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Mane takes dominant Senegal past Egypt into AFCON final

  • Former champions Senegal dominated possession against cautious Egypt
  • The result maintained the dominance of Senegal over Egypt

TANGIERS, Morocco: Sadio Mane scored a 78th-minute winner to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over Egypt on Wednesday in their Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in Tangiers.
Former champions Senegal dominated possession against cautious Egypt and will face hosts Morocco or Nigeria on Sunday in the final.
The result maintained the dominance of Senegal over Egypt. The Teranga Lions beat the Pharaohs in the 2022 AFCON final and in a 2022 World Cup play-off. Both victories came after penalty shoot-outs.

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah was well contained by the Senegal defense. This was his fifth AFCON and the closest he has come to a winners’ medal is finishing a runner-up twice.
Veteran Senegal center-back Kalidou Koulibaly was yellow-carded after 17 minutes for fouling Egypt striker Omar Marmoush.
It was his second booking in as many matches and ruled him out of the final. The second semifinal will be played later on Wednesday.
Worse was to follow for the 34-year-old based in Saudi Arabia as he sustained an injury six minutes later and had to be replaced by Mamadou Sarr.
Senegal did more attacking in a cagey first half without seriously threatening 37-year-old Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
An attempt by Nicolas Jackson flew over and, soon after, teammate Pape Gueye was on target with a low angled shot, but it lacked power and was comfortably saved.

- Heated exchanges -

The rival benches became involved in heated verbal exchanges and some pushing as half-time approached, leading rival head coaches Pape Thiaw and Hossam Hassan to appeal for calm.
Thiaw and Hassan were then addressed by the referee and order was restored in the rival dugouts.
Egypt threatened the Senegal defense for the first time in added time at the end of the opening half when awarded a free-kick close to the touchline.
But the set-piece delivery from Salah slipped through a crowded goalmouth and out of play beyond the far post.
Both teams made changes for the second half. Egypt replaced Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh with Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan and Senegal introduced Lamine Camara for Habib Diallo, who had been cautioned.
As the semifinal passed the hour mark, the pattern of the opening half continued. Egypt were content to let Senegal have more possession, confident they would snuff out any threat to El Shenawy.
With 15 minutes of regular time remaining, Egypt had not had a goal attempt on target nor had they forced a corner.
Finally, with 12 minutes remaining, the Senegalese pressure was rewarded with two-time African player of the Year Mane scoring.
An ambitious long-range effort by Camara was deflected to Mane, and his low shot flew past El Shenawy and into the net.


Sharjah Self-Defence takes opening-day lead at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Updated 25 January 2026
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Sharjah Self-Defence takes opening-day lead at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

  • Round 1 of the competition is taking place at Nad Al Sheba Complex in Dubai

DUBAI: The Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship — Round 1 No Gi got underway in Dubai on Saturday with the Sharjah Self-Defence Sports Club leading the standings at the end of the day’s action.

The competition took place at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex with action across the U-12, U-14 and U-16 categories.

Day 1 also saw Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club finish in second place and Palms Sports — Team 777 in third.

Mohamed Hussain Al-Marzooqi, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the inclusion of the No Gi category reflects the federation’s commitment to providing athletes with more competitive opportunities and developing their skills across different jiu-jitsu styles. He stressed that investment in youth categories remains essential to building a generation capable of representing the UAE at regional and international competitions.

“No Gi competitions offer a different challenge in jiu-jitsu, with a focus on speed, flexibility and tactical awareness,” said Al-Marzooqi. “We include this format to help develop athletes’ skills, prepare them for international competition, and build well-rounded athletes who can adapt to different styles.”

The championship continues on Sunday with competitions in the U-18, Adults and Masters categories, with significant participation from clubs and academies from across the UAE.