Joe Aribo was naturally downhearted over his nightmare with Nigeria.
But such feelings are not exactly echoed by Rangers supporters who have seen their team’s title chances receive a huge shot in the arm due to his international misfortune.
It’s unclear if anyone could have envisaged the Scottish Premiership title race taking a potentially key turn at a venue in Cameroon called the Stade Roumde Adjia.
Yet the significance of Aribo’s devastating loss with his country could well become apparent with a mammoth win for his club.
Of course, most Rangers fans would normally have wanted their star man to do well at the African Cup of Nations, for his own status if nothing else.
But club comes first and Aribo’s shock early return through a critical period of the season and availability for the clash with Celtic a week tomorrow is absolutely massive for boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The former Charlton kid has been sensational this season. The team’s best player and signs are that the Dutchman is getting even more out of him.
Aribo’s skills and touch have been evident since the moment Steven Gerrard signed him but his strength, overall play and importance to the group has been gathering week on week.
After scoring his first for van Bronckhorst against Livingston last November, he spoke about the manager’s urgings to make more breaking runs forward as it causes mayhem.
Aribo’s goal at Tynecastle soon afterwards when surging beyond the front line gave a perfect example.
Interestingly, despite the growing influence on general play, he had only contributed three goals in 22 games with Gerrard before he left.
Aribo had managed the same number of goals in just nine games for van Bronckhorst before heading away to AFCON.
It is surely no coincidence Rangers looked flat and lacking cutting edge at Aberdeen six days ago when they shipped two points with their key star still on international duty.
At that stage, Nigeria were flying. Favourites to win the entire tournament keeping the Ibrox star away for more than another two weeks.
But, suddenly. that all changed. Naturally, he was gutted. Upon exit, he said: “That’s not how we wanted things to go and the way it is in camp now, no one is happy.”
But when he gets his Rangers head back on, he’ll be key and, from potentially being disrupted majorly for the coming week and a half, the Ibrox squad is tooling up.
Alfredo Morelos is going to be missed badly having been named in the Colombia squad for their World Cup encounters. No team can lose a top scorer and not be affected.
But apart from the hitman, van Bronckhorst has no other big names gone and is getting other key stars back at a crunch time.
Leon Balogun was not selected by the Nigerians as he was not going to be fit to start the tournament, but he is back from the sidelines and managed an hour against Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup last weekend having been absent for exactly two months.
Kemar Roofe opted against joining Jamaica with the blessing of his national coach in an attempt to get his peak fitness back to cover the Morelos loss and he is also firmly back in the fold having returned as a sub against Stirling Albion after six weeks out.
Scott Arfield hasn’t gone with Canada having decided to end his international career.
It’s always swings and roundabouts through a tough season.
Ryan Jack is still out and Ianis Hagi, who scored against Aberdeen in the previous game, suffered an injury against Albion which forced him off.
But Aribo has become absolutely vital to Rangers and his unexpected and timely comeback is the biggest possible boost for his team-mates and boss.
Having key men available is crucial at any time.
But unexpectedly having his best player available for the biggest game was one bonus van Bronckhorst would probably not have banked upon.
