Egypt and Sweden head to Placement Matches 9-12 with wins in Athens

Sweden and Egypt secured their places in the Placement Matches 9-12 in Athens, as the two teams will meet on Thursday after they clinched wins against co-hosts Greece (39:29) and Bahrain respectively (31:27).

Libya conceded yet another loss, their sixth in a row at Germany/Greece 2023, 24:32 against Angola, and they will play in the Placement Matches 29-32 against Costa Rica.

Placement Match 9-16

• Sweden vs Greece 39:28 (20:15) 

After losing two straight matches against Denmark and Hungary with the same score of 26:29, Sweden didn`t qualify for the quarter-finals and were frustrated by that setback. However, they partly redeemed themselves by beating co-hosts Greece in an all-European duel.

This win helped the Scandinavians to proceed to the Placement Matches 9-12, where they will face Egypt on Thursday. On the same day, Greece, who are currently on a four-match losing streak, will try to bounce back at the Placement Match 13-16. 

Sweden showed their firepower in this match, nearly hitting the 40-goal mark. In fact, they scored more goals at this World Championship just once, when they defeated Greenland even clearer (50:12). 

Notably, all their 14 outfield players netted at least once against Greece, with Kasper Palmar becoming the top scorer with eight goals from 10 attempts. In the first half, Sweden were down 5:6 before Palmar's three goals propelled them to a 4:0 run – and it was just the beginning.

The Scandinavian defence also worked well, and the goalkeepers Alexander Linden and Oscar Sävinger combined for 15 saves, making a big contribution to the victory. Sweden scored nine goals from fast breaks, and the Greeks did not have any chance for a comeback despite the support of their home crowd in Athens. 

hummel Player of the Match: Kasper Palmar (Sweden)

• Bahrain vs Egypt 27:31 (16:15) 

When Egypt failed to reach the quarter-finals, it was quite frustrating for the African champions. Their next goal was to redeem themselves in the two remaining consolation matches, and on Wednesday, the 'Pharaohs' defeated Bahrain in a hard-fought game.

On Thursday, Egypt will meet Sweden in the Placement Match 9-12, while Bahrain will end the competition with the Placement Match 13-16 against co-hosts Greece.

Bahrain have already written history by progressing to the main round and securing their highest-ever position in the World Championship. And in the match against Egypt, they again showed quality and commitment. 

While Egypt took early control of the match and led 12:7 in the 17th minute, their rivals did not give up. Although their player Mohamed Rabia received a red card for a rough challenge on his opponent in the same 17th minute, Bahrain team stuck together, and their defence improved greatly. The Asian side made a strong comeback to pull in front at half-time (16:15).

The second half also saw a close fight, but Egypt went in front again and maintained a small advantage for most of the time. Their goalkeeper Youssef Salama ended the match with 15 saves and a 37% saving efficiency, while Rady Ahmed, Mahmoud Shalby and Mohab Abdelhak led the way in attack, scoring six goals each. 

But Bahrain fought hard, and with five minutes left, they cut the deficit to just one goal (27:28). However, Egypt scored three unanswered goals in the remaining time to register a victory. 

hummel Player of the Match: Mohab Abdelhak (Egypt)

Placement Matches 25-32

• Libya vs Angola 24:32 (9:12)

In an all-African duel, Angola were the more successful side, joining the United States of America in Placement Matches 25-28. Libya had no luck in their sixth encounter at the World Championship and, without a win at the competition, are eyeing their final game at Germany/Greece 2023 against Costa Rica.

Only four goals were scored in the first ten minutes of the game. However, the goalkeepers had the main word on the court as Angola's Paulo Guiezi Gonga finished the first half with eight saves and Abd Airaouf Alabasi had four, all in the opening minutes of the game.

Angola produced a three-goal run after being behind (2:3) and never looked back. Their biggest lead in the first half was by five goals and when your opponent only converts 28% of shots, it is hard not to be the more dominant side.

It only took ten minutes for Angola to make a break in the second half, propelling to a 21:12, and goalkeeper Gonga extended his great day at the office to 12 saves at a 50% saving efficiency. Libya was shocked by Amyn Ghareebah's injury in the first half as he was among three players that scored more than once, but Abdullah Hireebish stepped up and ended as Libya's top scorer with six goals.

Left wing Ruben Gonçalves Ledi José was unrestrainable, scoring 13 times in the game, fairly earning the hummel Player of the Match reward. The first double-digit gap was hit in the 54th minute as Libya did not have any more power in them to overcome Angola's defence.

hummel Player of the Match: Ruben Gonçalves Ledi José (Angola)