Sweden defeat Egypt in their World Championship opener on Friday (Photo: the International Handball Federation's Twitter account)
Egypt fought bravely in the closing stages but were eventually defeated as Sweden claimed a 27-24 victory in their opening Group D game at the World Championship in Copenhagen on Friday.
Sweden led 13-11 at halftime after a tight first half but the second was even more exciting, with Egypt at one point bridging a five-goal gap.
However, Sweden eventually prevailed as Egypt were largely profligate.
Montpellier's Mamdouh Hasham and Zamalek's Ahmed Al-Ahmar, an iconic handball figure in the country, were Egypt's standout performers in addition to keeper Karim Hendawi who produced a series of impressive saves.
Angola and Sweden now top Group D with two points, one ahead of Hungary and Argentina who drew 25-25 earlier in the day.
With only the top three advancing to the main round, Egypt should beat Qatar when they meet in their next match on Sunday.
Egypt's best World Championship achievement was finishing fourth in 2001 in France. The country will host the next edition of the tournament in 2021.
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