At Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny on Monday night, Cape Verde and Egypt played to an exhilarating 2-2 draw in one of the most dramatic Africa Cup of Nations matches in recent memory.

Egypt qualified for the Round of 16 after finishing in second place in Group B, following a 2-2 draw between Ghana and Mozambique in the match that followed.

Throughout the first ten minutes of the match, Cape Verde appeared to be the more forward-thinking team and outpossessed Egypt in terms of ball possession.

But throughout this time, the Pharaohs were the team that came closest to scoring.

Read Also:AFCON 2023: Egypt Vs Cape Verde Confirmed Starting XI

Goalkeeper Vozinha was brought into action in the 19th minute and kept his country in the match with a crucial save after a long-range effort by Omar Marmoush. Egypt then had a chance to score.

As the half-mark drew near, the Pharaohs kept getting more and more confident and started looking for an opener.

As the half came to an end, the Pharaohs kept up the pressure, but they frequently failed at the last hurdle.

For the majority of the first forty-five minutes, the Blue Sharks had trouble moving the ball up field due to their deep defensive line.

Gilson Tavares, however, opened the score near the end of the half in a rare attack for Cape Verde.

The attacker took advantage of a loose ball in the area and took goalie Mohamed El Shenawy by surprise with his snap shot.

Early in the second half, Egypt exerted tremendous pressure on Cape Verde and generated many scoring opportunities.

The Pharoahs’ efforts paid off in the fiftyth minute when Trezeguet, a second-half substitute, put his name on the scoreboard following a deft exchange of passes with Ahmed Hegazi inside the penalty area.

As the cooling break neared, neither Egypt nor Cape Verde let off on showing off their attacking prowess.

However, during this time, Egypt prevailed over Cape Verde to win the ball.

Near the end of the match, players like Trezeguet and Emam Ashour nearly pushed Egypt ahead, but Mostafa Mohamed gave his nation the lead in the ninetieth minute.

Then, in a stunning change of events, Bryan Teixeira appeared within the Egypt box and scored an equaliser from a tight angle in the 99th minute.