The Czechs, who have never won a medal at the tournament, were 10-9 up at half-time with Ondřej Zdráhala and Stanislav Kasparek on particularly good form in the Varaždin Arena with two goals each.

They kept up this momentum in the second half and were set to cause a huge shock as they went 18-16 up with just 13 minutes remaining.

Two-time European champions Germany put their opponents to the sword in front of the 2,130-strong crowd in the Croatian city and scored six goals without reply in the final 10 minutes to seal victory in their first match of the main round.

This result means Germany are second in Group II with Denmark top following their 31-28 win over Slovenia.

Today also saw the continuation of the Asian Men’s Handball Championships in Suwon.

Hosts South Korea, winners of the competition a record nine times, defeated India 35-23 at the Suwon Gymnasium whilst reigning champions Qatar saw off China 34-19.

Conversely, there was bad news for Uzbekistan and Australia, both been forced to enter the classement round after finishing bottom of Group A and B respectively.

Uzbekistan lost 18-37 to Iran, while Australia suffered defeat at the hands of Oman by a 33-19 scoreline.

The other matches of the day saw the United Arab Emirates beat Bangladesh 36-15 and Saudi Arabia defeat New Zealand 42-12.

Although India, Bangladesh, China and New Zealand have been eliminated from the main draw, they will play matches tomorrow to determine where they stand in the classement round.

Algeria, Tunisia and Gabon sealed passage from Group A at the African Men’s Handball Championship in Libreville in Guinea.

The Algerians booked their place in the next round with a close 33-31 victory over Congo at Le Palais des Sports de Libreville before Tunisia followed suit by beating Gabon 27-15.

Gabon’s two wins from their opening two matches prior to today’s defeat meant their record was good enough to secure qualification to the quarter-finals.

Angola kept up their 100 per cent record in Group B with a 32-21 win over Morocco and thus booked their place in the elimination round.

There was disappointment for Nigeria as they were eliminated from the competition with one game left to play after losing 21-28 to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

More follows