"We are pleased with Egypt's performance against Angola. This match was far better than our previous two friendlies against Namibia and Mali," Gharib told FilGoal.com.

Emad Meteb's hat-trick was not enough to help Egypt overcome a resilient Angola side, who came from behind twice and even had the lead early in the second-half.

Mohamed Abou-Treika was a notable absentee from the match but Gharib allayed any fears regarding his availability for CAN.

"We opted to rest him as he has just recovered from a flu which didn't allow him participate against Mali."

The Pharaohs crushed Namibia 3-0 and edged past Mali 1-0 in their other CAN 2008 warm-ups.

Egypt will open their title defense against Cameroon on January 22nd.

"Coach Hassan Shehata has decided on his starting line-up for our tournament's opener against Cameroon," Shawki added.

The five-time African champions will fly to Kumasi, where Group C takes place, on Thursday.