The Himalayan Sherpa Club were held to a 1-1 draw by departmental side Armed Police Force in their Martyrs’ Memorial ‘A’ Division League match at the Dashrath Stadium on Sunday.

Both the goals came in the second half, as Tridev Gurung headed Sherpa into a lead on 47 minutes with APF’s Pradip Kumar Syangtan levelling the scores 11 minutes later.

“It was a must-win game for us,” said APF coach Rajendra Tamang. The departmental side had lost 2-0 to the defending champions Manang Marshyangdi in their opening match on Wednesday.

APF could have led in the match but Aashish Lama’s long-range effort from outside the area in the eighth minute was punched by Sherpa custodian Kishor Giri. Sherpa defenders then cleared the danger before any APF player could get to the loose ball.

In the 11th minute, APF’s Ram Kumar Kumal centred a cross, but Sherpa had a reprieve as the left upright came to their rescue after Sherpa custodian Giri punched away the ball. APF failed to produce anything out of the resulting corner.

Having weathered the initial APF storms, Sherpa began to show their attacking intent. Sherpa threatened the APF goal, but Cameroonian Stephanie Samir Deiubeni forward missed a clear opportunity for a lead, firing his shot over the bar in the 14th minute.

Sherpa dominated the possession for the next 10 minutes, keeping the APF defenders on their toes. Tridev Gurung served a pass inside the area minutes later. But Bishon Gurung’s powerful shot lacked direction as it missed the far post.

Sherpa spurned another chance in the 23rd minute when Deiubeni failed to connect his effort with just the ’keeper to beat.

APF pushed hard towards the close of the opening half and were awarded a freekick a minute before halftime. Sudip Shikhrakar's shot from 36 yards out appeared to be heading into the post, forcing their cheering fans to their feet cheering. The ball, however, went over the bar much to their chagrin.

Sherpa showed attacking intent early on in the second half. Tridev Gurung ran past his markers to head home on a Bishwash Shrestha corner in the 47th minute.

APF responded to the goal with raids of the Sherpa territory and could have levelled the scores eight minutes later. But Aashish Lama could not keep his header low on a cross from Nabin Lama. It didn't take long for the departmental side to equalise, though. In the 58th minute, Aashish Lama, after dribbling into the area, released the ball into the path of Prabin Kumar Syangtan who slotted the ball home at the near post.

Amid quick exchanges of attacks, both the sides created many scoring opportunities.

Sherpa nearly sealed the match in the 90th minute, but Shrestha shot straight into the hands of the keeper from just outside the area. Chaudhary fumbled at the first go but secured the ball into his arms on the second attempt.

“Our performance is getting better,” said Sherpa coach Sanjiv Budhathoki after the match. “We should have protected our lead but a minor mistake saw us concede a goal.”

“We still are wasting a lot of the chances, our foreign players are yet to play at their best. But the team is working on understanding each other better,” added Budhathoki.

Despite having to share the points, Tamang too appeared content. "Communication error led to us conceding the goal but then we worked on it," he said, adding, "Playing against teams with foreign players is difficult at times. But we are trying hard to improve on possession."

Sherpa had also drawn their precious game with Nepal Police Club.

The Army outfit take on Manang in the first match at noon on Monday, followed by the clash between Three Star and Nepal Police at 3pm. Both the matches will be held at the Dashrath Stadium.