The 0-2 defeat suffered by the senior national team of Nigeria in the hands of Mali during the recently concluded international break has proved costly as they have dropped from 28th to 30th in the latest ranking released by world football governing body FIFA.
Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-1 before succumbing to a 0-2 defeat to Mali. The points gained from the win over Ghana was dwarfed by the point loss by the defeat to Mali, owing to the fact that they are ranked higher than Ghana.
It means the Super Eagles lost more points than they gained, but nonetheless they still retain their spot as the third best team in Africa behind the duo of Morocco (13th) and Senegal (17th).
Egypt (37th), Cote d’Ivoire (38th) and Tunisia (41st) round up the rest of the top five on the African continent.
Meanwhile, world champions Argentina remain the number one ranked nation, followed by France, Belgium, England and Brazil.
Ade Emmanuel
