Bangladesh beat Bahrain to stay flawless in U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers

Bangladesh men's U-17 football team continued their flawless run in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in China on Friday, beating Bahrain 2-1 in Group A to register their fourth win in as many games.

Bangladesh dominated the first half with an attacking approach, creating several scoring opportunities. Rifat Kazi came close twice in the span on nine minutes before the half-hour mark, but Bahrain's goalkeeper made crucial saves.

Defender Kamal Merdha also cleared a shot off the line in the 34th minute and, despite winning multiple free kicks and corners, Bangladesh couldn't find the breakthrough before half-time.

The second half saw Bangladesh press even harder. Bayezid Bostami broke the deadlock in the 59th minute, capitalising on a long throw. Mohammad Manik doubled the lead in the 72nd minute with a brilliant long-range finish following a precise pass from Nazmul Huda Faysal.

Bahrain pulled one back late through Hossain Zubair in the 85th minute, but Bangladesh held on, with goalkeeper Alif Rahman making key saves to preserve the win.

They now turn their attention to their fifth and final match, against hosts China, on Sunday.