Dhaka: The Bangladesh U-23 football team suffered a 2-4 defeat to host Bahrain in their second and final closed-door friendly match held in Bahrain last night. Despite leading the first half 2-1, the Young Bengal Tigers could not maintain their advantage, allowing Bahrain to stage a comeback in the second half and secure the victory.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the match between Bangladesh and Bahrain teams has been recognized as a FIFA Tier-2 match. However, similar to the first friendly, the result of the second match was not officially announced as it was played behind closed doors. These matches are part of Bangladesh’s preparation for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers set to take place next month in Vietnam.
The Bangladesh team has been conducting a 12-day training camp in Bahrain since August 14 in anticipation of their qualifiers. The team is expected to return home tomorrow, continuing their preparation for the Group C matches. Bangladesh will face hosts Vietnam on September 3, followed by matches against Yemen and Singapore on September 6 and 9, respectively.
In an earlier encounter, the Bangladesh U-23 team narrowly lost 1-0 to Bahrain in the first closed-door friendly match.