Bahrain suffered a 2-1 defeat to the UAE in their Gulf Football Federation (GFF) U17 Gulf Cup opener in Doha, Qatar, despite a late fightback that nearly earned them a point.

Coached by Khalid Hassan, the young Reds found themselves two goals behind before Komail Al Sitraoui pulled one back in the closing stages at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium.

UAE's Hussain Ali broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time after his first-time effort from outside the area was blocked following a partially cleared corner.

Ali reacted quickest to the rebound, collecting possession inside the box before firing into the top corner beyond Bahrain goalkeeper Hussain Al Majed.

Captain Butti Khamis Al Jneibi doubled the Emiratis' advantage in the 72nd minute, capitalising on a loose ball during a goalmouth scramble following another corner.

Bahrain responded in the 83rd minute when Al Sitraoui rose to meet a floated free-kick and headed home, setting up a tense finish.

His goal sparked a brief confrontation as Bahraini players attempted to retrieve the ball from the UAE goalkeeper and restart play quickly in search of an equaliser.

Hussain Zuhair then came close to drawing level in the closing moments but sent his effort over the crossbar from inside the penalty area.

China, meanwhile, secured a 1-0 victory over hosts Qatar in Group A's other opening fixture.

Bahrain will now look to bounce back against Qatar on Monday at 5.45pm Bahrain time, before facing China on Thursday and Oman on October 28.

The 10-team tournament features Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and invited side China in Group A, while defending champions Saudi Arabia are joined by Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen and Egypt in Group B.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on November 1, with the final scheduled for November 4.

The competition also serves as Bahrain's final preparation for next month's AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers in Oman, where they will face Kuwait, Brunei Darussalam, the hosts and Lebanon in Group G.

Only the group winners will qualify for next year's continental finals in Uzbekistan.