Egypt Rest Salah as The Palancas Negras Face Afcon Exit.
Fredy delivered a delightful free-kick onto the post as Angola and Egypt played out a draw.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Etihad counterpart Omar Marmoush watched from the bench as the group leaders Egypt played out a stalemate with Angola at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The seven-time champions, having already secured top spot, deployed an completely rotated starting XI and lacked a cutting edge in Agadir.
Angola, who required a victory to stand a chance of progressing, will now endure an anxious period to see if their solitary draw 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 pools, all having three points.
Match Highlights
Winger Fredy struck the woodwork for Angola early in the second half, while Egypt's substitute – one of three halftime changes by the Pharaohs – stung goalkeeper Hugo Marques' palms with a shot from inside the box.
Salah and Marmoush had previously found the net in victories over Zimbabwe and South Africa, in turn.
Egypt will remain in Agadir to face a third-placed team next Monday, with their next rival to be confirmed after the preliminary round 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.
Pharaohs Feel Star Power Absence
Mohamed Salah observed Egypt draw a blank in an Afcon match for the first time since the 2021 tournament decider.
With top spot secured, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan likely expected a more impressive attacking performance from his rotated side.
The striker, who scored four goals at the previous tournament, created an first-half chance for Hossam Abdelmaguid, but the centre-back looped his header over the target.
Angola, making seven changes themselves, nearly went ahead when Chico Banza combined with Mabululu before firing a low drive wide.
The first half passed without a single effort on target, though Fredy caused goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir into a save with a powerful long-range strike.
The Palancas Negras skipper remained the likeliest threat, seeing a set-piece 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 goal to be ruled offside.
Late attempts 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 inconsistent showings in Morocco will raise questions about their mid-tournament coaching decision.
