Alpi double helps Bangladesh U-17s beat Syria in UAE

Bangladesh U-17 women's team began their final preparations for this month's AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers with a 2-0 win over their Syrian counterparts in a friendly match at the UAE Football Association Ground 1 on Tuesday.

Forward Alpi Akter was the star of the show, scoring both goals -- one in the 39th minute and another shortly after the restart in the 52nd -- to help her side to a convincing start to their UAE camp.

The team will next face hosts UAE on October 9 before heading to Amman for the qualifiers. Bangladesh are placed in Group H alongside hosts Jordan and Chinese Taipei, with matches scheduled for October 13 and 17, respectively.

Only the group winners will advance to the final round, joining hosts China and the top three teams from the previous edition -- North Korea, Japan, and South Korea -- for the 2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup. Bangladesh previously reached the tournament's final round in 2017 and 2019, when it was known as the AFC U-16 Women's Championship.