UKM failed to take advantage of playing at home after being held to a 2-2 draw against Terengganu FC II (TFC II) in the first leg of the 2018 Challenge Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium on Monday.

Playing on a field full of mud due to heavy rain did not dampen the mood of either team, with both Malaysian Premier League teams playing good attacking football to look for an opening goal.

TFC II broke the deadlock in the 30th minute through Sharin Sapian, but the hosts equalised five minutes later through a solo effort from Nigerian import Ijezie Michael Chukwubunna.

In the second half, TFC II player Sebastien Thuriere made mistake during a clearance effort, which resulted in an own goal in the 74th minute, but the visitors redeemed themselves just two minutes later with Zuasyraf Zulkiefle making it 2-2.

The second-leg of the final will be held at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu on Oct 15.

The Challenge Cup was introduced this year by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) to ensure that teams that failed to qualify for the Malaysia Cup could still play competitive football until the end of the season.