Junior Ognguene Nkengue scored a magnificent volley in the second minute of the second half injury time to salvage defending champions Kathmandu Rayzrs a 1-1 draw against Chitwan in the Nepal Super League at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Chitwan went ahead in the 87th minute through an own goal from Kathmandu’s Uzbeki midfielder Komilov Tojidinov but failed to preserve their lead after a mistake proved too costly in the dramatic final minutes.

Chitwan, who had failed to win a single match last season to end up at the bottom of the table, continued their miserable run, losing 1-0 against Pokhara Thunders in their opening match on Saturday.

But they were bright against Kathmandu under their new Indian coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo, controlling the play with accurate passes but still lacked the cutting edge to capitalise on chances, with Roshan Rana Magar—who replaced Rajesh Pariyar in the starting line up—first getting closer to goal midway into the first half.

Chitwan captain and goalkeeper Bishal Shrestha devised a counter attack to find Rana Magar at the edge of the box with a long ball that only needed a golden touch but the forward wasted the opportunity as his attempt to chip the ball went straight to advancing Kathmandu goalkeeper Abhisek Baral.

Chitwan’s iconic player Bimal Gharti Magar was outstanding throughout the game and threatened Kathmandu box in the 42nd minute with a lightning effort that missed the target by inches.

Kathmandu were looking to maintain their winning run after opening their defence of the title with a 1-0 victory over Sporting Ilam on Friday but Bal Gopal Maharjan’s side were dull.

The drama gradually unfolded after the restart as the teams slowly increased their pace.

Chitwan gave Kathmandu chills through their spines in the 69th minute when their Ghana midfielder Afriyie AC Quah made a wise choice, opting to take a freekick indirectly. Gharti Magar received Quah’s clever pass and flicked the ball to set up Rafiq Aminu near the penalty spot but Kathmandu’s Anjan Rai—who started instead of Prashant Awasti—denied the Ghanaian with a clean tackle.

It knocked up Kathmandu, who had been struggling to create any clear chances, and a minute later Roshan Rana went close to scoring as his diving header off a cross from Kuldip Karki was brilliantly saved by goalie Shrestha.

Coach Wadoo sent in Nawayug Shrestha in place of Aminu in search of goals and it immediately paid dividends. Seconds after entering the pitch, Shrestha sent across a low ball that found Gharti Magar near the goal line. Gharti Magar cut the back looking to connect with Utsav Rai but his effort deflected off Komiwon, who was trying to clear the ball, before deceiving goalkeeper Baral.

But their celebrations were short lived when Cameroonian Nkengue pounced on poor clearances from Chitwan defenders Abmubarik Yussif and Rana Magar and volleyed past Shrestha from just inside the box, ending Chitwan’s hopes of registering their first victory in the Nepal Super League history.

Pokhara Thunders and Lalitpur City will both aim to maintain their winning start when the sides lock horns at the same venue on Wednesday.