The Pharaohs Rest Mohamed Salah as Angola on Brink of Elimination from AFCON.
The Angolan winger delivered a delightful free-kick against the post as Angola and Egypt played out a draw.
Anfield forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush watched from the bench as Group B winners Egypt were held to a draw with Angola at the Afcon 2025.
The seven-time champions, having already secured top spot, deployed an completely rotated starting XI and lacked a cutting edge in the Moroccan city.
Angola, who required a victory to stand a chance of progressing, will now endure an anxious period to see if their solitary draw is sufficient to advance for the last 16 as one of the highest-ranked third-place teams.
Benin, Sudan and Mozambique are assured of at least third place in their respective groups, all boasting three points.
Game Key Moments
Attacker Fredy struck the woodwork for Angola shortly after the second half, while Zizo – one of three players introduced by the Pharaohs – tested goalkeeper Hugo Marques' palms with a shot from inside the box.
Salah and Marmoush had scored earlier in the tournament in comeback wins over Zimbabwe and South Africa, in turn.
Egypt will stay in Agadir to meet a runner-up from another group next Monday, with their opponents to be determined after the group stage finishes on Wednesday.
In the simultaneous Group B finale, South Africa's 3-2 win over Zimbabwe propelled Bafana Bafana through automatically, putting Angola on the outside looking in.
Egypt Miss Star Power Absence
The Liverpool star watched Egypt draw a blank in an Afcon match for the first time since the 2021 final.
With top spot secured, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan might have hoped for a more impressive attacking performance from his rotated side.
Mostafa Mohamed, who scored four goals at the previous tournament, created an first-half chance for Hossam Abdelmaguid, but the defender looped his header wide of the target.
Angola, having made seven changes themselves, nearly went ahead when Chico Banza combined with Mabululu before firing a shot wide.
The first half ended without a shot on target, although Fredy forced goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir into action with a powerful long-range strike.
The Palancas Negras skipper remained the likeliest source, seeing a free-kick elude the goalkeeper but crash against the crossbar.
At the other end, Salah Mohsen was left in disbelief after almost tapping in a cross, only for the move to be flagged offside.
Late efforts from M'Bala Nzola and Hamdi Fathy could not break the deadlock, ensuring the match finished goalless.
For Angola, quarter-finalists in 2023, their disjointed showings in Morocco will lead to scrutiny about their recent managerial change.
