Nigeria's dramatic defeat of defending champions Cameroon in football's African Nations Cup failed to sour the mood among diplomats from the two sporting rivals at talks on a border dispute Tuesday.
Delegates at the talks on the neighbours' sensitive territorial spat admitted tongue-in-cheek that there had been fears that Sunday's fixture might have clouded the upbeat mood at the United Nations-sponsored parley.
But instead, at a warm opening ceremony, officials congratulated each other's teams, and resolved jokingly to work hard to be sure to finish their agenda in time to watch Wednesday's semi-final between Nigeria and Tunisia.
Nigeria's foreign minister Olu Adeniji summed up the brotherly mood in making a bold prediction that Nigeria's Super Eagles would go on to win their next two matches and carry off African football's crown.
"The Cup of Nations will stay in the Cameroon-Nigerian family. Any time our Cameroonian colleagues want to see it they can always come across," he said.
Cameroon's chief negotiator Amadou Ali, promised to support Nigeria for the rest of the tournament, noting to applause that "what's important is that the cup comes back next door to Cameroon."
Sunday's 2-1 victory for Nigeria over the Indomitable Lions ended Cameroon's quest for a third straight Nations Cup title and renewed one of the fiercest rivalries in African sport.