Kathmandu, july 24:

Nepali national team played a 1-1 draw against Portas Club of Kolkata today ahead of their AFC Challenge Cup slated to begin from July 30 in Hyderabad.

Jumanu Rai scored the equaliser in the 60th minute for Nepal after Portas scored early in the second minute. The Nepal Police Club striker Rai converted the penalty, awarded after Portas defender brought down Santosh Sahukhala inside the D-box.

Nepal made it to the eighth-team AFC Challenge Cup when they beat Macau and hosts Cambodia in the qualifying round recently. Nepal are drawn in Group B along with Myanmar, DPR Korea and Sri Lanka.

Nepal will open their campaign with a match against Myanmar on July 31, before playing DPR Korea on August 2 and Sri Lanka two days later. Nepal had entered the semi-finals of the first edition of the tournament held in Bangladesh in 2006.