Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola in their final group-stage match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan named an entirely different starting XI from the side that beat South Africa on Friday and sealed top spot in Group B.
By finishing first, Egypt will stay in Agadir and return to Adrar Stadium for their round-of-16 tie against one of the best third-placed teams on 5 January.
Angola needed victory to keep their knockout hopes alive, but the draw left them with just two points.
They will now be hoping for a miracle to progress, as they wait for the conclusion of the group stage to discover their fate.
In the other Group B match, South Africa beat Zimbabwe 3-2 to finish second and set up a last-16 meeting against the Group F runners-up in Rabat on 4 January.
Egypt’s best chance of the first half came in the 29th minute, when Mostafa Mohamed’s acrobatic effort found Hossam Abdelmaguid at the far post, but the centre-back headed wide from close range.
Most of Angola’s first-half threat came through two players who know the Egyptian league well – Mabululu and Chico Banza.
Banza, who plays his football with Zamalek, came close to giving his side the lead just before the break, but his low strike drifted inches wide of Mostafa Shobeir’s left post.
Fredy was a constant threat for Angola with a series of long-range attempts, but he could not find a way past Shobeir. His closest effort came after the interval, when a curling free-kick crashed against Shobeir’s right post.
Substitute Zizo forced a superb save from goalkeeper Hugo Marques with a powerful strike in the 59th minute, but later wasted Egypt’s best chance.
Played in by a fine pass from Ibrahim Adel, he chose to take a touch instead of shooting first time, allowing Nurio Fortuna to slide in with a superb tackle to clear the danger.
M’Bala Nzola almost won it late on, driving in from the right and hitting the side-netting.
It was a moment that summed up a frustrating night for the Angolan fans.
