January 23, (THEWILL) – Egypt have booked a place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, despite conceding a last-gasp equaliser in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Cape Verde on Monday night. Missing star Mohamed Salah, the Pharaohs knew a win would guarantee progression from Group B, but found themselves up against surprise package Cape Verde, who came into the match with a 100% record.
The Blue Sharks took a shock 1-0 lead right on half-time through Garry Rodrigues, silencing the vocal Egyptian fans packed into the stadium. However, a clever Rui Vitória substitution paid dividends, with Trezeguet equalising for Egypt after the break. Mostafa Mohammed then looked to have won it with a classy injury-time finish, only for Bryan Teixeira to snatch a point for Cape Verde with virtually the last kick of the game.
Despite the late drama, the draw was still enough for Egypt to finish second in Group B behind Cape Verde. It maintains their record of reaching the AFCON knockouts in every edition since 2010. They will now face a nervy wait to see who they meet in the last 16 on Sunday.
Without Salah, the Egyptians were made to work harder for qualification, after lacklustre displays in their opening two matches. Still, in a tournament full of surprises, the seven-time champions remain one of the favourites to go all the way.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.