Duro Ikhazuagbe
Super Eagles’ lacklustre performances in the two international friendly games with African champions Algeria and Tunisia have resulted in the Nigerian senior national team tumbling down three steps to the 32nd position in the October ranking released by FIFA yesterday. Eagles were 29th last month.
The three-time AFCON winners also dropped from the third spot in the September ranking to fourth in the continental grading.
Interestingly, the Riyadh Mahrez led Algerians who defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the first game of the FIFA window, the first since football returned from Covid-19 lockdown, moved five steps up the ladder to be joint 30th with Serbia.
Apart from beating Nigeria 1-0, Algeria went ahead to draw with Mexico in the second game four days later to maintain a 20-match unbeaten streak.
Tunisia that drew 1-1 with Nigeria in the battle of the Eagles maintained their 26th spot in the FIFA ranking and second position in Africa behind Senegal who are 21st in the global ranking.
Despite the slip down the ladder, most pundits were certain that Gernot Rohr and his wards will climb back in the next ranking after playing Sierra Leone in the AFCON 2022 qualifying double header next month. Sierra Leone were ranked 120th yesterday.
Senegal’s Teranga Lions remain Africa’s highest ranked team at 21st and number one on the continent. Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and Morocco occupy the top five spots in Africa. Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso complete the Top Ten of African football.
At the global stage, there were no changes in the top five ranked countries in the world as Belgium, France, Brazil, England and Portugal remained first, second, third, fourth and fifth respectively.
At number six is Spain, number seven spot has Uruguay, two-time World Cup champions Argentina are eight, at number nine is Croatia and Colombia are number 10.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be published on 26 November, 2020.
