UNITED NATIONS, June 14 -- The corridors of power at the United Nations Headquarters in New York might appear to most observers to be the epitome of seriousness and professionalism.

However, diplomatic protocol took a back seat on Thursday for the first match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow, when Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, invited his colleagues to join him with a jersey and a beer.

At about 10:20 a.m. local time in New York, ambassadors to the United Nations, nearly 100 journalists and UN staff from Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Argentina, South Korea, Peru, Colombia, France, Tunisia, Japan and many other countries were invited to join the festivities.

Ambassadors watched the opening match of the World Cup between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia in a lounge at UN Headquarters. Many took off their suits and temporarily replaced them with the jerseys of their respective national teams. Notably, Saudi Arabia's ambassador Abdallah Yahya al-Mouallimi took a photo with Nebenzia before a sea of reporters.

It was better to come early than late. UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak had not long taken his seat next to Nebenzia when the Russian team scored the first goal, prompting a round of boisterous cheering and high-fives from the usually serious and dignified diplomats.

As temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere gradually warmed with the arrival of summer, the relationship between Russia and the West has cooled. In March, former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned in Salisbury, England, causing the United States and many European nations to launch a series of punitive measures against Russia.

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