, Aug. 23 -- 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 tim...