Egypt Bench Mohamed Salah as Angola on Brink of Elimination from AFCON.
The Angolan winger curled a delightful set-piece onto the woodwork as the two sides shared a stalemate.
Anfield star Mohamed Salah and Etihad counterpart Omar Marmoush watched from the bench as Group B winners Egypt were held to a stalemate with Angola at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The record winners, having clinched top spot, deployed an completely rotated starting XI and lacked a clinical finish in the Moroccan city.
Angola, who needed a victory to keep their hopes alive, will now face a nervous wait to see if their two points is enough to qualify for the last 16 as one of the four best-placed third-place teams.
Benin, Sudan and Mozambique are already guaranteed at least third place in their respective groups, all having three points.
Match Highlights
Attacker Fredy struck the woodwork for Angola early in the second half, while Zizo – one of three players introduced by the Pharaohs – tested goalkeeper Hugo Marques' fingertips with a shot from inside the box.
Salah and Marmoush had previously found the net in comeback wins over Zimbabwe and South Africa, respectively.
Egypt will stay in Agadir to face a runner-up from another group next Monday, with their opponents to be confirmed after the group stage finishes on Wednesday.
In the simultaneous Group B finale, South Africa's victory over Zimbabwe propelled Bafana Bafana into the next round, putting Angola in a precarious position.
Pharaohs Feel Salah and Marmoush Presence
Mohamed Salah observed Egypt fail to score in an Afcon match for the first occasion since the 2021 tournament decider.
With first place secured, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan might have hoped for a more convincing attacking performance from his second string.
Mostafa Mohamed, who netted four goals at the previous tournament, created an first-half chance for Hossam Abdelmaguid, but the centre-back directed his header wide of the target.
Angola, making multiple rotations themselves, nearly went ahead when Chico Banza combined with Mabululu before firing a shot wide.
The first half passed without a single effort on target, although Fredy caused goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir into action with a powerful long-range strike.
The Palancas Negras skipper remained the most dangerous source, watching a set-piece elude the goalkeeper but crash against the woodwork.
At the other end, Salah Mohsen was left in disbelief after nearly prodding in a cross, only for the move to be flagged offside.
Late efforts from M'Bala Nzola and Hamdi Fathy failed to break the deadlock, ensuring the match ended goalless.
For Angola, last-eight participants in 2023, their disjointed performances in Morocco will raise questions about their mid-tournament managerial change.
