They saw off Hong Kong 18-11 at the Tüskecsarnok venue in the Hungarian capital to end the tournament on a positive note.

The Czechs were confident of victory after also beating Hong Kong 26-10 in the pool phase.

It was a closer contest this time around but six goals in three minutes during the third quarter proved key for the Europeans.

Elsewhere, England defeated Turkey 14-13 in the battle for ninth place.

Both teams missed late penalties in a tense encounter as the English edged a finely-poised affair.

The tournament will conclude tomorrow with traditional rivals The Netherlands and Belgium contesting the final.

Beaten semi-finalists Chinese Taipei and Portugal will play for bronze with hosts Hungary meeting China for fifth place.

A total of 12 nations initially entered the event before the Dominican Republic withdrew due to financial problems.

The International Korfball Federation said they would not replace them, meaning Pool A had just five teams.