A few minutes after the final whistle, after Angel di Maria's goal on the hour had secured the 2008 Olympic gold medal for Argentina, the Nigeria players were all smiles, play-biting their silver medals and taking pictures with Maradona.
No tears were being shed at the Bird Nest Stadium in Beijing. No petulant yanking of the losers' medal off the neck as soon as they received them. Instead, the players were happy to strut around the grounds, cavorting with fans and stopping for interviews with media while showing off their newly minted bling.
There was cause for optimism.