With just over 30 seconds left, Bella Gulldén finished 31-25 after a spectacular "Japanese" in collaboration with Nathalie Hagman.
After the final signal, tears flowed from Gulldén.
Gulldén led the Swedish team with great energy in the first half and Sweden was for a while up in a three-goal lead 12-9, this against a France, reigning champions, who had everything to play for in the battle to reach a semifinal.
Before and after the break, France scored five straight goals and went from 12-14 to 17-14 and connected grips on the match.
In eleven minutes, Sweden made six technical errors and saw the match slip out of their hands.
The first half ended 14-14 after Sweden neglected a 14-12 lead at the end.
It was Sweden's best half during this championship.
Only four technical errors were noted, compared to 20 during the entire losing match against Montenegro.