Bangladesh U-23s fall narrowly in Bahrain friendly ahead of Asian Cup Qualifiers

Bangladesh under-23 side began their preparation for next month's AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers with a narrow 1-0 defeat against Bahrain in a closed-door friendly in Vietnam on Monday.

Despite the scoreline, debutant Zayyan Ahmed saw plenty to build on. "We've played well, created three or four good chances in what turned out to be a very even game," said the USA-based midfielder, who rated his own display 7.5 out of 10 and the Mojibur Rahman Jony team's performance an 8.

Zayyan was encouraged by the balance of the group. "Our squad is well balanced. We are working very, very hard here in Vietnam… it's only up from here," he added.

The team will go through a light recovery programme today, with gym and swimming sessions at their hotel but no field training scheduled, before their second and final friendly against Bahrain on August 22. 

Bangladesh have been drawn in Group C of the qualifiers alongside hosts Vietnam, Yemen, and Singapore. The three group matches will be played on September 3, 6 and 9. From the 11 groups, only the winners and four best runners-up will reach the finals, set for next year.