Egypt lose 33-26 to Sweden in their final group-stage game at the World Championship in France (Photo: the tournament's official website)
Egypt's hopes of finishing second in their group at the World Championship ended on Friday following a 33-26 loss to Sweden who pipped them to the runners-up spot.
The Pharaohs, who claimed three group-stage wins over Qatar, Bahrain and Argentina, were no match for Sweden who avenged a surprise 26-25 defeat by Egypt at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games last year.
Sweden led 15-9 at halftime and the gap increased to seven goals at the final whistle.
Egypt finished third in Group D with six points from five matches, two behind Sweden and Denmark, with the latter having a game in hand.
The third-place finish pits Egypt against Croatia in a tough last-16 clash on Sunday. Croatia finished second in Group C after losing 28-21 to Germany on Friday.
Egypt are looking to qualify for the World Championship quarter-final for the first time since 2001, the year which saw them make their best ever achievement after finishing fourth in France.
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