Afghanistan defeated Bahrain 3–1 in its final Group D match in qualifying for the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup, ending the campaign with a convincing response after two defeats.
The Asian Football Confederation said Kourosh Barmak’s side produced a spirited performance against the host nation on Sunday.
Afghanistan led 1–0 at halftime before adding two further goals after the interval. Bahrain scored its only goal during the second half.
The victory gave Afghanistan three points from three matches and placed the team ahead of Bahrain on goal difference. Afghanistan scored four goals and conceded six during the qualifying campaign.
Tajikistan finished top of Group D after beating Jordan 1–0 in the day’s other fixture. Tajikistan and Jordan collected six points apiece, three more than Afghanistan and Bahrain.
Afghanistan opened the competition with a narrow 1–0 defeat against Jordan before losing 4–1 to Tajikistan.
Although the final-round victory did not secure qualification for the continental finals, it represented Afghanistan’s strongest performance of the campaign and its first three-goal showing.
The AFC introduced a revised two-phase format for its youth competitions, designed to provide teams with more matches against opponents of a similar competitive level. The eight group winners and seven leading runners-up advanced alongside host China.
For Afghanistan, the victory offered a positive conclusion to a difficult campaign and valuable competitive experience for the country’s emerging players.
