By Farayi Mungazi

Mhlauri has led the Warriors to their second Nations Cup finals

"We've done it again!" screamed the front page headline in Monday's edition of Zimbabwe's biggest daily newspaper, The Herald.

"The Warriors", wrote sports editor Robson Sharuko, "consolidated their place at the top table of African football with their qualification for their second straight Nations Cup finals."

The writer's unbridled joy highlighted the mood among Zimbabweans everywhere, myself included, following their team's 3-1 victory over Rwanda in Harare on Sunday.

The win gave Peter Ndlovu and his colleagues the green light to start their Arabic lessons, in readiness for Egypt 2006.

Technically, the Warriors are also still in the World Cup frame for Germany 2006. How times have changed.

For much of the 1980s and 90s, Zimbabwe were afloat, drifting aimlessly, like a deserted ship in the Bermuda Triangle.

No one was on board to steer a course to the showpiece of African football. Then came that historic appearance at the last Nations Cup in Tunisia. And now Egypt 2006.

This reminds me of the long-standing joke about London buses, namely, you wait around for ages for one then two come along at once.

But are the Warriors - under the guidance of local coach Charles Mhlauri - really dining at the top table of African football?

A second succesive qualification for the Nations Cup finals seems to confirm that feeling but I reckon the jury is still out.

As a Zimbabwean, I am delighted to see the Warriors make progress but to put them in the same league as Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco and Tunisia is stretching a point.

Zimbabwe may be ranked ninth in Africa but almost everyone with a football brain agrees that these rankings are a big joke.

I mean, how else can you describe a system which places the United States above England, France and Germany?

Whilst this joint World Cup and Nations Cup qualifying series has witnessed a shift in the balance of power, it is nothing of the kind propagated by some.

From my experience, I can say that many would-be champions have always come unstuck when they begin to think and act above their station.

Teams like Zimbabwe, Togo, Angola and Cape Verde must realise that it takes more than a handful of qualifying matches to be invited to the top table.