Egypt wrapped up their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group campaign with an unbeaten record after playing out a 0-0 draw against Angola on Monday.
With qualification already secured, head coach Hossam Hassan made several changes to his starting lineup, giving opportunities to fringe players such as Khaled Sobhi, Ahmed Eid, Mohamed Ismail, Salah Mohsen, Ibrahim Adel, and Mahmoud Saber.
The Pharaohs had earlier sealed their place in the round of 16 with two victories — a 2-1 win over Zimbabwe and a narrow 1-0 success against South Africa.
Egypt finished top of Group B with seven points, just one point ahead of South Africa, who defeated Zimbabwe 3-2 in their final group match. Angola ended the group stage in third place with two points, while Zimbabwe finished bottom with one.
Despite fielding a rotated squad, Egypt started brightly and put early pressure on Angola’s defence. However, they found it difficult to create clear scoring chances.
Angola came close to opening the scoring in the 11th minute when Chico Banza delivered a low cross from the left, but Modesto failed to direct his effort on target. Shortly before halftime, Banza tried his luck again with a low shot from outside the box that narrowly missed the post.
At the start of the second half, Hassan introduced key players Ahmed Sayed “Zizo,” Yasser Ibrahim, and Mostafa Fathi to add more control and attacking threat.
Angola nearly broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute when Fredy Ribeiro struck a powerful free kick that hit the post. Moments later, Mabululu tested Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobier, who made an excellent save to keep the score level.
Egypt also had their chances. Zizo missed a golden opportunity inside the box after failing to control a well-timed pass from Ibrahim Adel.
Angola pushed hard in the closing minutes, including stoppage time, but Egypt’s defence stood firm to ensure a clean sheet.
Egypt will now turn their attention to the knockout phase, where they will face one of the best third-placed teams from the other groups in the round of 16 on Monday.
