N Ireland ranked above Republic
Lawrie Sanchez has guided Northern Ireland into the top 50
Northern Ireland have overtaken the Republic of Ireland in the Fifa rankings for the first time.
After beating Latvia in their most recent Euro 2008 qualifier, Northern Ireland have risen 13 places to 45 while the Republic slip to 49.
It is Northern Ireland's highest ranking since 1995 and the Republic's lowest for eight years.
Steve Staunton's Republic suffered a 5-2 defeat in Cyprus before holding the Czech Republic to a draw at home.
Under Sanchez, Northern Ireland have risen from 124th place in the rankings.
However, their progress did not stop the former Wimbledon midfielder considering his position in September after receiving criticism he felt his team did not deserve.
Sanchez recently stated that he would like to get Northern Ireland higher than the Republic during his time in charge.
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