Ireland leapfrogged by Gabon in Fifa world rankings

Ireland have been leapfrogged by Gabon in the latest Fifa world rankings.

Martin O’Neill’s side now lie in 65th position, sandwiched between Burkina Faso and Bulgaria, with Gabon’s 4-2 win over Lesotho late last November presumably the reason for their jump from 65th to joint 62nd place, alongside Togo.

Ireland's Euro 2016 qualification Group D rivals world champions Germany remain the highest ranked side, while Scotland and Poland lie in 36th and 41st spots respectively.

Northern Ireland have jumped a place into 47th thanks to Zambia plunging four places following their 1-0 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg on January 4th.