Angola beat Burkina Faso 2-0 to clinch top spot in Group D at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Mabululu headed in Fredy’s free-kick nine minutes before the break to put the Palancas Negras ahead.

Burkina Faso winger Dango Ouattara forced a save from Neblu but Zine made sure of the points with a close-range finish in stoppage time.

Both sides had been certain of progress before kick-off because of other results in the final round of games.

Burkina Faso ended their group campaign in second place after Mauritania eliminated Algeria by beating the 2019 champions 1-0.

Angola will face a third-placed side from Group E or F in the last 16 on Saturday, while Burkina Faso will take on the Group E winners next Tuesday.

Angola came into the finals as the lowest-ranked side in Group D at 117th in the world, but grabbed a draw against Algeria in their opening game before a thrilling 3-2 win over Mauritania on Saturday set the platform for qualification.

The southern Africans have reached the knockout stages for the first time since 2010, when they hosted the tournament and exited in the quarter-finals.