Windhoek — THE grave mood in the Warriors' camp ahead of today's 2010 World Cup/Nations Cup soccer qualifier against Namibia at the Independence Stadium tells the whole story - tale of a battalion of troops who have let their country down and probably now believe that a dance in South Africa is now Mission Impossible.

Rarely have I seen the Warriors so subdued, and so tense, in a foreign country ahead of a football assignment in the past 15 years and, as time flies towards the start of today's match, it appears that it has finally dawned on these men that this could be the end of the road for them.

The usual jokes that dominate their team in camp have since disappeared and their faces tell a sad story of a people in whom an entire nation invested its World Cup dreams but got nothing but broken hearts in return for their loyalty and passionate support for the cause.

Even David Kutyauripo is not singing those folk songs on the team bus anymore and the noise that usually dominates the time when they have their meals has been replaced by a deafening silence that they would all have pleaded guilty if this was a trial before a High Court judge.

A sense of guilt -- in which they seem to acknowledge that they have let their nation down -- appears to be evident on their faces and is troubling their conscience as they begin to realise that their 2010 World Cup dreams have collapsed.

Every minute they all appear to be surveying the wreckage of their World Cup dreams and wondering where they lost the plot after a promising start in Conakry where they held Guinea to a draw.

They look back to that home game against Kenya and seem to wonder how they came out of it without a goal and all the three points on offer.

They look back at that home game against Guinea and seem to wonder how they came out of it without a goal and all the three points on offer.

They seem to curse fate -- how did the assistant referee disallow such a genuine goal by Gilbert Mushangazhike against Guinea that could have changed the whole qualifying campaign for them?

There appears to be a resignation among these men that this is the end of the road and some of them will have to wait for three years to play again at this level while some of them will have to quit the international football arena.

So what is the story?

It's a simple one!

The Warriors take on the Brave Warriors of Namibia here at 4pm knowing that even a comprehensive victory might not be enough to take them to either Angola or South Africa.

If Guinea beat Kenya at home, as is being widely expected, then the result here today will become academic and the Warriors will probably finish third in a Nations Cup qualifying group for the second time running.

The only hope for the Warriors is that they beat the Brave Warriors and Kenya win in Guinea -- something that will give them second place and, hopefully, a place among the eight best runners-up.

Or they could win by a four-goal, or better, margin and then there is a draw in Conakry and they could grab second place again and hope to gatecrash into the party as one of the best runners-up.

Now, a draw in Guinea looks a realistic result.

But how do we expect a team that has only scored twice in five games to suddenly get the energy and precision to score more than four goals in this game?

How do we expect a team that has not scored on the road, in these qualifiers, for 180 minutes to suddenly score four or more goals in just 90 minutes?

We have not scored on the road since the battle for the 2008 Nations Cup finals where we failed to score in Malawi and Morocco.

We also failed to score, in these qualifiers, in Kenya and Guinea and suddenly we expect to get four or more goals in this game.

Well, that is what makes football such a beautiful game and, as Warriors manager Ernest Sibanda observed, it's not over until it's over.

Sibanda wants his team to play this game as a cup final and believes they have a duty to play for the country -- even on the occasions when it is clear that they will not qualify for the next stage.

He wants to evoke the same spirit that engulfed Barbourfields when the Warriors -- then out of the 2008 Nations Cup finals -- turned on the style to beat Malawi 3-1 in their final match.

Method Mwanjali was part of that team and scored a beauty.

He is back in the squad after a lengthy spell on the sidelines related to his differences with national coach Valinhos that have since been resolved.

Whether he gets a place in defence or in midfield is another issue, but what is clear is that there will be a new partner for Mushangazhike in attack because Edward Sadomba and Benjani Mwaruwari are both not here.

That could open a window of opportunity for either Pride Tafirenyika, the pride of the Wild Boys of Shooting Stars, playing just behind Mushangazhike, or Quincy Antipas who is now based in Denmark.

"It's a game that we need to win and we have to give it our best shot. Even when it gets clear that we are not qualifying, we still need to fight for the sake of our country and we will do that," said Sibanda.

For Valinhos, this is a tricky period.

Defeat here will certainly mark a premature end to a relationship with the Warriors that has so far failed to produce the desired results.

If, by any chance, the team qualifies for the next round, then it will buy the Brazilian coach more time with this side.

He has been heavily criticised at home for his tactics and questionable decisions, especially when it comes to substitutions and some of the players he trusts for the starting XI.

Usually he gets the starting XI wrong and most of the time his substitutions, instead of going to add value to the team, end up being products of panic and they make a bad situation become a worse one.

Namibia are out of both the World Cup and Nations Cup finals, but they are determined to do well after firing their coach hoping to begin a new era.

Skipper Collin Benjamin believes the players now know each other well and are ready to beat Zimbabwe for their second win in the group.

They beat Kenya 2-1 in their first match before they lost four straight games.

"The way we enjoy ourselves at training

shows that we have grown in confidence and that can also be seen from the positive atmosphere that prevails in the team," he told the Namibian newspaper.

"The players are more relaxed, they believe in their abilities and know what is expected of them.

"I think all these positive signs will carry us through and contribute to our success. We have a good side at the moment and the coach has been supportive in many aspects. We have really grown into a competitive unit," he said.

New coach Tom Saintfiet is also a confident man.

"I am very satisfied with the attitude, the confidence, atmosphere in the camp and I am confident that we can beat Zimbabwe, but it will not be an easy job.

"It will be a difficult task, but one thing I know is that my players will go out there and fight to the best of their abilities.

"Every game for us is important and we want to give the public something to be proud of.

"They key here is to win at home because the fans like to be associated with a winning team. At this point, I believe with the quality of the players we have we capable of doing just that.

"According to my analysis, not yours, I am satisfied with the level of fitness of the players.

"They have behaved very professionally and I know that they are ready for the challenge," said the Belgian coach.

The 35-year-old coach is beginning a new era here in Namibia. If results go against the Warriors today, Valinhos will certainly be ending his era as Warriors coach.