(Reuters) – Argentina have climbed one place to second in the latest FIFA rankings behind arch-rivals Brazil after their World Cup triumph in Qatar, while the tournament’s surprise package Morocco were big movers and are on the verge of cracking the top 10.
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi scored two goals and netted again in the shootout as he led his country to an emotional 4-2 win on penalties over France on Sunday, with the title clash ending 3-3 after 120 minutes of breathtaking action.
A win in normal or extra time would have propelled Argentina to the top of the rankings but they sit second behind five-times world champions Brazil who now have a slender lead in points.
France rose to third with both of this year’s World Cup finalists leapfrogging Belgium, who failed to reach the knockout stage.
Morocco are 11th after climbing 11 spots, with the Atlas Lions the year’s highest climbers having earned 142 points over the previous 12 months.
They enjoyed a superb run to the semi-finals in Qatar before losing to Croatia in the third-place playoff.
Croatia, the World Cup runners-up in Russia four years ago, are seventh behind England and the Netherlands.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
