The French eventually earned a 32-23 victory at the Jane Sandanski Arena in the North Macedonia capital to progress as one of the top four sides in Group B, eliminating Chinese Taipei in the process.

Coach Eric Quintin was unhappy with a performance fr0k the nation who have won each of the last two Youth Championships,.

It was characterised by loose passes and poor shooting.

"Our team is a little bit fragile mentally," Quintin said. 

"The game was not in our hands as we were not playing how we wanted, so everyone took the ball and thought he could make the difference alone.

"That’s what we talked about during the preparation for the game, so I was a little bit disappointed.

"We cannot be competitive with the strongest teams in this championship with this level of playing."

Elsewhere in Group B, Egypt have also progressed to the last 16 after thrashing Canada 47-20, meaning all four qualification places in the pool have been resolved with one game to go.

Sweden moved to the top of the group by inflicting Hungary's first defeat, edging an entertaining encounter 29-28.

They are due to face France on Tuesday (August 12) in their final group game.

In Group D, Germany are through to the knockout stages after beating winless Brazil 28-22.

Brazil kept tabs on Germany throughout the first half and led after 23 minutes, however Germany assumed control early in the second-half, moving the score from 15-15 to 23-16 in the space of 10 minutes.

They are joined in the next stage by Iceland, who defeated Serbia 26-22.

The Icelandic goalkeeper, Sigardur Dan Oskarsson, starred for his country, his 13 saves proving crucial in securing the victory.

Serbia are now due to face Tunisia - beaten 30-24 by already-qualified Portugal today - in their final group game on Tuesday, with the winner set to progress as the fourth placed side in Group D.