The AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers match between Nepal and Philippines ended in an entertaining draw on Tuesday.

Both sides went close but failed to find the net during the game played at Anfa Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur.

It was a disappointing first half performance by the Nepali side lacking spark and brilliance in their play. They, however, improved in the second half and saw Anjan Bista and Bharat Khawas coming close to scoring.

Philippines put pressure on the Nepali side throughout the match but were undone by Nepali defensive line.

Philippines missed a glorious chance to take the lead in the 35th minute when Nepali goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong parried away a powerful shot only for the ball to land in front of a Philippines player. His resulting shot was tame and the ball was easily collected by Chemjong.

They nearly found the net in the 94th minute when a header hit the bar and nearly entered into the Nepali net after striking a Filipino player until it was cleared by Bikram Lama off the line.

The game was also the final game for skipper Anil Gurung who called time on his decade-long international career after coming in as 80th minute substitute. He is just a handful of Nepali players to reach the 50-match milestone.

Nepal had lost the first leg to the Philippines 4-1 in Manili on March 28.