Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Omar Marmoush remained unused substitutes as Group B winners Egypt drew with Angola at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The seven-time champions fielded an entirely changed starting XI, having already secured top spot heading into their final game, and lacked a cutting edge in Agadir.

Angola needed to win to boost chances of making progress themselves, and will face a nervous wait to see if their two points is enough to qualify for the last 16 as one of the four best-placed teams from the six groups.

Benin, Sudan and Mozambique are already guaranteed at least third place in their respective groups, and all have three points.

Winger Fredy struck the outside of a post for Angola early in the second half.

Egypt's Zizo - one of three players introduced by the Pharaohs at the break - stung Hugo Marques' fingertips with a shot from inside the box shortly afterwards.

Salah and Marmoush scored in their country's 2-1 comeback win over Zimbabwe in their opening game, followed up by a 1-0 victory against South Africa courtesy of the four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner's penalty.

Egypt will remain in Agadir to meet a third-placed team from Group A, C or D in Agadir next Monday (16:00 GMT) and will discover their opponents after the group stage concludes on Wednesday.

South Africa's 3-2 win over Zimbabwe in the simultaneous Group B closer sent Bafana through automatically with a four-point cushion over Angola.

Having secured top spot with a game to spare, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan might have hoped for a more impressive attacking performance from his second string with the pressure off.

Mostafa Mohamed, who netted four goals at the 2023 finals, used an early overhead kick to supply Hossam Abdelmaguid in front of goal, only for the centre-back to loop a header high over the target.

Gelson Dala and Show scored Angola's goals against South Africa and Zimbabwe but both made way as coach Patrice Beaumelle made seven changes, almost seeing his side go ahead when Chico Banza played a slick one-two with Mabululu on his way inside the box and dragged a low drive wide.

Hassan's changes came at the end of a half in which neither side had an effort on target, although the reliably creative Fredy caused Mostafa Shobeir to parry a thunderous shot from distance that was heading narrowly wide.

The Palancas Negras captain looked the likeliest player to give his side the breakthrough they needed, lifting another strike from outside the box into Shobeir's arms before his free-kick beat the goalkeeper but not the woodwork.

Salah Mohsen was prone on the turf in disbelief at the other end after almost prodding in Zizo's cross with the goal gaping in a move that was deemed offside, and the Al Ahly winger then dithered on the ball in space to allow Rui Modesto to make a crucial intervention with an excellent tackle.

M'Bala Nzola hit the side-netting for Angola after a surging run during the closing stages and Hamdi Fathy sent a rasping attempt narrowly over for Egypt, whose failings will leave Hassan relieved to restore his feared first-choice strike force for the knockout stage.

Angola were quarter-finalists at the last Afcon in 2023, and the decision to replace long-serving Pedro Goncalves in September appears to have backfired after disjointed showings in Morocco.

No third-placed finisher has gone through with fewer than three points since Afcon expanded to a 24-team format in 2019.