FOOTBALL – Bahrain’s youth men’s football national team lost to their counterparts from the UAE 1-2 last night in their opening match of the second U-17 Gulf Cup, which kicked off in Doha, Qatar.
Goals from Hussain Yousif in the 45th minute and Butti Khamis in the 73rd gave the Emiratis the commanding lead, until Bahrain’s Komail Al Sitrawi reduced the deficit with the nationals’ lone consolation eight minutes from the end of regular time.
The Bahrainis and Emiratis are in Group A of the preliminary round in this 10-nation Gulf Football Federation (GFF) tournament alongside Oman, China, and hosts Qatar.
Group B is composed of defending champions Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, and Egypt.
Bahrain, being guided in the competition by Bahraini tactician Khalid Hassan, will be looking to bounce back when they face the home side Qataris on Monday at 5.45pm.
They then take on their Chinese counterparts on Thursday next week at 8pm, before completing the group stage against Oman on October 28 at 5.45pm.
All times are Bahrain.
This first phase will continue until October 29, after which the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals on November 1.
The tournament will conclude with the final on November 4.
Aside from competing in the U-17 Gulf Cup, Bahrain’s youth men’s squad are also gearing up for the qualifiers of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2027, to be held next month.
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