Egypt Rest Salah as The Palancas Negras on Brink of Afcon Exit.
The Angolan winger curled a delightful free-kick against the post as Angola and Egypt played out a draw.
Anfield star Mohamed Salah and Manchester City counterpart Omar Marmoush remained unused substitutes as the group leaders Egypt played out a stalemate with Angola at the Afcon 2025.
The record winners, having already secured top spot, deployed an completely rotated starting XI and were missing a cutting edge in the Moroccan city.
Angola, who needed a victory to stand a chance of progressing, will now endure an anxious period to see if their two points is sufficient to qualify for the knockout stage as one of the highest-ranked third-place teams.
Benin, Sudan and Mozambique are already guaranteed at least third place in their pools, all boasting three points.
Match Key Moments
Attacker Fredy rattled the outside of a post for Angola shortly after the second half, while Egypt's substitute – one of three players introduced by the Pharaohs – stung 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, respectively.
Egypt will remain in Agadir to meet a runner-up from another group next Monday, with their opponents to be determined after the group stage concludes on Wednesday.
In the other Group B finale, South Africa's 3-2 win over Zimbabwe propelled Bafana Bafana through automatically, leaving Angola on the outside looking in.
Pharaohs Miss Star Power Absence
Mohamed Salah observed Egypt draw a blank in an Afcon match for the first occasion since the 2021 final.
With top spot secured, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan might have hoped for a more impressive display from his rotated side.
The striker, who scored four goals at the previous tournament, set up an early chance for Hossam Abdelmaguid, but the centre-back looped his header wide of the target.
Angola, having made multiple rotations themselves, nearly went ahead when Chico Banza linked up with Mabululu before dragging a shot past the post.
The first half ended without a shot on target, though Fredy forced goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir into a save with a thunderous long-range strike.
The Palancas Negras skipper remained the likeliest threat, seeing a free-kick beat the goalkeeper but clatter against the crossbar.
At the other end, Salah Mohsen was stunned after almost prodding in a cross, only for the move to be ruled offside.
Late efforts from M'Bala Nzola and Hamdi Fathy could not break the deadlock, ensuring the match ended scoreless.
For Angola, last-eight participants in 2023, their disjointed performances in Morocco will raise questions about their recent managerial change.
