Angola and Morocco drew 0-0 on Saturday evening to leave Group A of the Africa Cup of Nations all square after the first round of fixtures.

The first half started brightly with both goalkeepers being forced into making early saves, but the game quickly settled down into a scrappy midfield battle.

Angola were gifted a gilt-edged chance in the opening moments of the second period as Morocco goalkeeper Nadir Lamyaghri spilled the ball into the path of Guilherme Afonso.

However, the substitute was only able to poke the ball wide, much to the frustration of his coach.

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Mounir El Hamdaoui then went close for Morocco, firing just wide from an acute angle.

Angola pushed forward in search of a winner late on and Manucho was narrowly off target with a diving header, but the game ended goalless.

Earlier in the day, South Africa and Cape Verde also played out a 0-0 draw.