Sadio Mané-inspired Senegal and Mali set up Africa Cup quarterfinal

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Sadio Mané led Senegal to the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations after a 3-1 win over Sudan in Tangier on Saturday.

The 2019 and 2022 African footballer of the year chased and harried, and set up goals and chances for teammates, leading by example in the absence of suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly.

Mané set up midfielder Pape Gueye’s first goal of two and substitute Ibrahim Mbaye’s goal to send the Lions of Teranga, the 2021 champions, through to a quarterfinal against Mali, which held on with 10 men on a cold, wet night in Casablanca to beat Tunisia 3-2 in a penalty shootout.

“We needed to dig deep,” said Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, whose team faced an early setback when Aamir Abdallah stunned the favorites with Sudan’s opener in the sixth minute.

It was the first and last goal scored by a Sudanese player in the tournament. The Falcons of Jediane defeated Equatorial Guinea in the group stage thanks to an own goal.

The Sudanese, who played all of their qualifying matches away from home as the country contends with a brutal war and humanitarian crisis, were bold against Senegal.

"I am sure the Sudanese people know that we came to this competition and proudly represented them,” Sudan coach James Kwesi Appiah said.

Senegal was a challenge too far, though.

Mané set up Gueye to score in the 29th. Gueye also got the second before the break, set up by Jackson. The 19-year-old Mbaye made his entrance as a substitute in the 74th and Mané set up the youngster to wrap it up on a break three minutes later.

El Bilal Touré fired Mali into the quarterfinals with the winning penalty in a 3-2 shootout win over Tunisia after they finished 1-1 with extra time.

Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra saved two penalties to make up for misses from Yves Bissouma and Dorgeles Nene, as the Eagles set up a showdown with Senegal in Tangier on Jan. 9.

Tunisia was left to rue the miss from Ali Abdi and saves Diarra made to deny Elias Achouri and Mohamed Ben Romdhane. They failed to beat Mali despite having an extra player from the 26th minute, when Woyo Coulibaly was red-carded for a dangerous tackle on Hannibal Mejbri.

It was one of many bad tackles. Referee Abongile Tom had already issued four yellow cards before the red.

Coulibaly was the second Mali player sent off in two games after Amadou Haidara against Comoros.

Even after the sending off, neither Mali nor Tunisia managed a shot on target in the first half.

Fans needed to wait till the 88th before Elias Saad crossed for Firas Chaouat to head what most assumed was Tunisia’s winner.

But Tunisia defender Yassine Meriah conceded a penalty in stoppage time, and Lassine Sinayoko duly equalized from the spot to send the game to extra time. It was Mali’s first shot on target.

Sinayoko also scored in the shootout to draw the team level again after Mali captain Yves Bissouma started by blazing his penalty over.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Mali's head coach Tom Saintfiet talks to players before the ectra time during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Mali and Tunisia in Casablanca, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Mali players celebrate after the penalty shootout og the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Mali and Tunisia in Casablanca, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Senegal's Ibrahim Mbaye celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Senegal and Sudan in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Ibrahim Mbaye celebrates after scoring during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Senegal and Sudan in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's El Hadji Malick Diouf heads the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Senegal and Sudan in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Sadio Mane in action during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Senegal and Sudan in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Sudan's goalkeeper Monged Elneel Abuzaid saves in front of Senegal's Sadio Mane during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Senegal and Sudan in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Sudan's Sheddy Ezeldin, left, and Senegal's Sadio Mane fight for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations best of 16 soccer match between Senegal and Sudan in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

NEW YORK (AP) — Tomatoes, ubiquitous in everything from fast-food burgers to haute cuisine, are taking on a new role beyond the plate: A nagging reminder of rising costs.

Prices for those red orbs have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour.

“The tomato has become a symbol of something much deeper,” says Isaac Bernal Carbajo, a New York City chef who lamented life's “simplest pleasures” falling victim to price increases. “Something as basic as buying fresh vegetables is starting to become a serious financial decision for many families.”

Tomato prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, dwarfing increases for other groceries, including coffee (up 18.5%), beef roasts (up 17.8%) and frozen fish and seafood (up 12%), among other products that have become symbols of America’s affordability squeeze.

A separate inflation gauge released Thursday showed that overall prices increased 3.8% in April from a year earlier, the highest reading in nearly three years.

Alongside crop yields, experts blame price increases for tomatoes, in part, on two pillars of President Donald Trump’s second-term policies: the Iran war and tariffs. The war spiked gas prices and increased shipping costs. Meantime, the U.S. withdrew from a deal allowing duty-free imports of tomatoes from Mexico, which grows most of America's supply.

Usha Haley, a Wichita State University economist, says it's “a perfect storm of trade policy, extreme weather and Mideast policy.”

American tomato farmers cheered the withdrawal from the tomato deal last July, saying it would help rebuild their shrinking industry. But for consumers, it's been painful. Though the U.S. withdrew from the Mexico tomato deal in July, it took time to see the impact in the produce aisle, with more imports in late winter and early spring.

When the tomatoes arrived, they were slapped with a 17% tariff.

“Tariffs are undeniably a big driver of the price inflation,” says Brett Massimino, a Virginia Commonwealth University business professor. “Because the U.S. relies on Mexico for the majority of its tomato supply, any changes in trade policy can have a large impact.”

U.S. tariffs collected on tomatoes ballooned from just $16,424 in 2024 to nearly $4.6 million, according to federal data, a staggering 27,879% increase.

As the cost trickles down, outraged shoppers have pulled out their phones in the produce aisle, shooting videos lamenting costs they said quadrupled, with some vowing to plant a garden to avoid prices of up to $8 a pound. But the impact has been most pronounced for businesses that rely on tomatoes as a key ingredient in their kitchens.

MarginEdge, which tracks prices for restaurants, says grape tomatoes have increased most — 65% in just a month — but prices have gone up across all types of tomatoes.

Phillip Coles, a professor of supply chain management at Lehigh University, says prices should drop later in the year when domestically grown tomatoes are harvested. Higher prices, he says, will also “induce farmers to increase planting to meet the demand, but this takes longer because of the lead time.”

Meantime, it's translating to a big hit for businesses like Snarf’s Sandwiches, which puts a tomato in nearly every sandwich it makes.

Wayne Humphrey, chief operating officer of Snarf’s, which operates dozens of stores in Colorado, Missouri and Texas, said cases of tomatoes went from costing him $27 to $93 in the space of a year, piled on top of rising expenses for other ingredients including bread and beef, as well as increased labor costs.

“That single ingredient now costs us more than $1.7 million in additional spend annually,” says Humphrey. “The math is getting harder to ignore.”

Associated Press writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report. Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://x.com/sedensky

Tomatoes await customers on the shelves of a supermarket in New York on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Sedensky)

Tomatoes await customers on the shelves of a supermarket in New York on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Sedensky)