In neutral surrounds, Pole and German came together in Dublin last night to watch the latest set-to of one of Europe's oldest football rivalries play out.
Befitting an event where the cost of the pretzels was shared by both embassies, the Porterhouse pub on Parliament Street was decked out in an ecumenical assortment of reds, whites, blacks and yellows, the walls adorned with a German jersey for every metre of red-and-white bunting.
For all the confidence-building measures, though, the two sides kept mainly to themselves.
Matthias arrives just before kick-off wearing a Polish jersey and a wide grin. He is doubly torn tonight, he says, having spent 10 years in Germany and sharing a flat with his German girlfriend, Bernadett.
"It's a conflict, but my patriotism comes out tonight. And also, we are the underdog, so it's Poland of course. But my girlfriend is German, so this will decide who sleeps on the sofa tonight. It will be 2-1 Poland, I think, optimistically. Very optimistically. Hope dies last."
"I'm completely with Germany," Bernadett says with an apologetic pat to his shoulder.
Matthias's optimism finds few echoes. "There's no reason to be optimistic," says Marzena from Katowice. "It's the team we want to beat because of the old antagonism - it's a bit like Ireland and England - but after Friday, we are not optimistic."
Eike-Christian from Kiel harbours no such doubts. "I'm confident. Germany will win."
And who will score?
"Klose and Podolski," comes the shout from some Poles who have overheard him, raising the awkward origins of Germany's Polish-born strikeforce.
One of the biggest cheers of the night came from the red-and-white corner when errant son Podolski contrived to miss from three yards, sending the Poles into jubilation.
At 0-0 and 90 minutes gone, nails continue to be chewed. Sobolewski is sent off, but Poland digs in. The seconds sail by. Two minutes into injury time, the cries of "Polska!" taper off as Oliver Neuville does what his team have been threatening to do all night and the game is claimed for the Germans.
The sofa's all yours, Matthias.