FOOTBALL – Bahrain's under-20 women’s football national team wrapped up their campaign in the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers yesterday with a 0-3 loss to Northern Mariana Islands.
The kingdom’s representatives battled hard over 90 minutes but Andrei Kaithlyn Mago Chavez was the star of the game and she helped lift her team to their only win in three matches at Do’stlik Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Chavez scored a brace and assisted on her team’s other goal, fired in by Summer Angel Manahane.
The Bahrainis suffered their third straight loss and ended their qualifying bid goalless in last place on the Group G standings.
It was their maiden participation in this qualifying competition for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) junior women’s event, which is scheduled to take place next year in Thailand. Their previous two defeats in Tashkent were 0-8 against the host Uzbeks and 0-6 to Jordan.
In last night’s other Group G fixture, Uzbekistan and Jordan played to a 3-3 stalemate but both secured their places in the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026. The Uzbeks took first place on the table with a superior goal difference, as each side finished on seven points. They thus qualified as winners, while Jordan were first amongst the three-best runners-up to go through.
Bahrain head coach Khaled Al Harban fielded a starting 11 yesterday that included goalkeeper Dhuwa Naser Alfaihani, Shooq Abdulhaleem Alalwani, Malak Abdulhaleem Alalwani, Jena Abdulhadi Bushehri, and Ameena Hamad Aldoseri in defence; Amani Tareq Salem, Sama Amjad Qasem, Jawaher Khaled Leqmani, Jood Abdulhadi Busheri, Rayyanah Hosam Khairalla, and Jannat Sayed Mahdi.
Northern Mariana Islands went ahead in the 22nd minute behind some brilliant individual play from Chavez. She showed her exceptional skill after dribbling past three Bahrain defenders before rounding Alfaihani and then tapping the ball into an empty net.
The Bahrainis then had a wonderful opportunity to equalise in the 81st minute, when Qasem had a one-on-one with opposing goalkeeper Mia Ysabela Abuan. She was released following a fine through pass from Mahdi, but the Northern Mariana Islands custodian made a stunning save and kicked away Qasem’s effort which targetted the bottom-left corner of the net.
Only two minutes later, the victors found their second after Chavez once again outclassed her defenders on the left wing, and perfectly set up teammate Manahane for a shot from close range. Manahane made no mistake with her one-touch effort.
Northern Mariana Islands then made it 3-0 in the third minute of second-half injury time. Substitute Ye Lynn Ha easily stole away possession from Aldoseri just several yards outside Bahrain’s box and then passed to Chavez to send the ball home and peg the final score.
Bahrain were one of 32 under-20 women’s national teams who were vying for a place in the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026, which will feature 12 teams in all. Qualifying was held with 32 teams divided into eight groups, each played at a centralised location.
The winners of each pool plus the three best-placed runners-up joined hosts Thailand in the tournament finals.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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