How Egypt were crushed out of 2023 World Men Handball Championship after suffering defeat to co-host Sweden in quarter-finals
Egypt have been knocked out of the 2023 World Men’s Handball Championship quarter-finals after suffering a defeat to co-hosts Sweden in the quarter-finals.
Qualifying for the tournament as African champions, Egypt shocked the world when they beat Croatia in their opening game, before going on to top their Group G in the preliminary round with a 100% win record ahead of Croatia, the United States, and Morocco.
Their group in the main round saw them join up with world champions Denmark, Bahrain, and Belgium as well as Croatia and the United States, who also had qualified with the Pharaohs.
Two wins over Belgium and Bahrain ensured Egypt had reached the quarter-finals for the second successive time with a game to spare.
Their final game against Denmark was to decide who will finish top of the group and avoid co-hosts and four-time world champions Sweden; however, the Pharaohs suffered their first defeat in the tournament and fell 30-25 to finish second.
At the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden and Egypt came face-to-face for a spot in the semi-finals and despite a strong performance, the African nation couldn’t come out victorious.
Egypt had a dream start and took a 7-5 lead in the first-half; however, Sweden managed to come back and entered the half-time break with a 14-9 lead.
The second half was balanced, but the Nordics eventually managed to secure the win, 26-22, thanks to their goalkeeper Andreas Palicka, who was awarded the Man of the Match award.
Egypt have now moved to the 5–8th place semifinals, where they will face Germany, who suffered a 35-28 defeat to France.
The game will be played on the 27th of January at the Tele2 Arena, Stockholm, with the winner facing either Norway or Hungary in the fifth-placed game.
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