<p>Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri equalled the legendary Pele with his 77th international goal as his 83rd minute strike helped India beat Nepal 1-0 and saved his side from the verge of elimination in the SAFF Championships here on Sunday.</p>.<p>The 37-year-old Chhetri, playing in his 123rd match for India, struck a late goal to place himself on even keel with the Brazillian great (77 goals from 92 matches).</p>.<p>He is now on joint third with UAE's Ali Mabkhout (77) in the list of highest scorers among active footballers, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (112) and Lionel Messi (79).</p>.<p>Substitute Farukh Chaudhary somehow managed to win a header from a long throw in and directed it towards the centre of the six-yard box where Chhetri found himself at the right place to fire the ball past Nepal gaolkeeper Kiran Limbu late in the match.</p>.<p>Seven-time champions India are now at third spot with five points from three matches in the five-team table, below Maldives (six points from three matches) and Nepal (six points from three matches).</p>.<p>India will still need to win their final round-robin league match on Wednesday against hosts Maldives if they have to make it to the October 16 final.</p>.<p>A draw against Nepal would have put India on the verge of elimination.</p>.<p>The Indian team and its head coach Igor Stimac had been under the pump after drawing against lower-ranked Bangladesh (1-1) and Sri Lanka (0-0) in their previous matches.</p>.<p>Chaudhary had come into the field as substitute of Mohd. Yasir in the 70th minute.</p>.<p>India kept on creating chances in the match and were the dominant team throughout. But they were not able make the finishing touches in a few chances they got.</p>.<p>Chhetri had also missed a big opportunity to score in the first half.</p>.<p>India had drawn against Nepal 0-0 and beat the Himalayan nation 2-0 in the previous encounters this year before Sunday's win. </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri equalled the legendary Pele with his 77th international goal as his 83rd minute strike helped India beat Nepal 1-0 and saved his side from the verge of elimination in the SAFF Championships here on Sunday.</p>.<p>The 37-year-old Chhetri, playing in his 123rd match for India, struck a late goal to place himself on even keel with the Brazillian great (77 goals from 92 matches).</p>.<p>He is now on joint third with UAE's Ali Mabkhout (77) in the list of highest scorers among active footballers, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (112) and Lionel Messi (79).</p>.<p>Substitute Farukh Chaudhary somehow managed to win a header from a long throw in and directed it towards the centre of the six-yard box where Chhetri found himself at the right place to fire the ball past Nepal gaolkeeper Kiran Limbu late in the match.</p>.<p>Seven-time champions India are now at third spot with five points from three matches in the five-team table, below Maldives (six points from three matches) and Nepal (six points from three matches).</p>.<p>India will still need to win their final round-robin league match on Wednesday against hosts Maldives if they have to make it to the October 16 final.</p>.<p>A draw against Nepal would have put India on the verge of elimination.</p>.<p>The Indian team and its head coach Igor Stimac had been under the pump after drawing against lower-ranked Bangladesh (1-1) and Sri Lanka (0-0) in their previous matches.</p>.<p>Chaudhary had come into the field as substitute of Mohd. Yasir in the 70th minute.</p>.<p>India kept on creating chances in the match and were the dominant team throughout. But they were not able make the finishing touches in a few chances they got.</p>.<p>Chhetri had also missed a big opportunity to score in the first half.</p>.<p>India had drawn against Nepal 0-0 and beat the Himalayan nation 2-0 in the previous encounters this year before Sunday's win. </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>