Sports Desk:

Bangladesh’s U-23 looked lively in the first half but ended up slipping to a 4–2 defeat against Bahrain in a practice match Friday night.

The match, played behind closed doors in Manama, had official Tier-2 status under FIFA.

Mirajul Islam struck twice to give Bangladesh a 2–1 lead at the break. But the hosts turned it around after halftime, scoring three unanswered goals to seal the win.

It was Bangladesh’s second game on tour — they had lost the first 1–0 earlier in the week. The two fixtures were arranged as part of preparations for next month’s AFC U-23 qualifiers in Vietnam.

Assistant coach Atikur Rahman Mishuk tried to take the positives.

“These two matches have been good preparation for us. All 24 players in camp got playing time, which was important,” he said, thanking the federation for arranging the trip.

The team is scheduled to return to Dhaka on Sunday before heading to Vietnam. Two players, Cuba Michel and Fahmidul, will join directly from Italy.