Bahrain captain Hussain Zuhair scored a hat-trick as his side recovered from two goals down to draw 3-3 with China in the GFF U-17 Gulf Cup on Thursday, October 22, at Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

The result left Khalid Hassan's team third in Group A with four points from three matches, behind leaders UAE on nine and China on seven.

Bahrain opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Omran Adel picked out Zuhair on a counterattack. The striker turned away from his marker before firing towards goal, with goalkeeper Jiang Yuhan allowing the ball to slip through his hands.

China equalised 10 minutes later through Yang Yihuan, who headed home Li Yuxuan's corner.

Liu Jinglei put them ahead on the stroke of half-time, firing the rebound into the top corner after Yuan Bohan's initial effort was blocked.

China extended their advantage in the 61st minute when Yang Chenshuo collected a clearance outside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Hussain Al Majed with little chance.

Zuhair sparked Bahrain's comeback eight minutes later, heading in Isa Al Malki's cross to reduce the deficit.

The skipper completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 79th minute to bring his team level and secure a point.

The draw followed Bahrain's opening 2-1 defeat to the UAE and a 1-0 victory over hosts Qatar.

In Thursday's other Group A fixture, the UAE beat Oman 2-1 to maintain their perfect record and move two points clear of China at the top.

Bahrain conclude their group campaign against Oman on Wednesday, October 28, at 5.45pm, with both their opponents and Qatar yet to register a point.

The young Reds remain in contention for the knockout stage, with the semi-finals scheduled for November 1 and the final on November 4.