KATHMANDU: Star striker Sabitra Bhandari scored the equaliser in injury time as Nepal salvaged a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh in an international friendly football match in Dhaka on Thursday.

Bhandari, fondly known as Samba in sporting fraternity, found the back of the nets in the four-minute added-on time capitalising on defensive error from the home team. Samba took her tally to 44 goals in international matches.

Bangladesh had taken the lead in the 65th minute after collecting a misspass from Saru Limbu in the 65th minute.

In their previous encounter, Bangladesh had defeated Nepal 3-1 in the final of the SAFF Championship at the Dasharath Stadium last year. The second and final match of the series, played under FIFA Date, is scheduled for Sunday.