As a rowdy crowd of Portuguese football fans drowned their sorrows yesterday afternoon, a small group of Bermudians sat quietly in the corner of the pub with a much more important game on their minds.

For while Portugal's Euro 2008 dream is over after yesterday's agonising 3-2 defeat to Germany, the match most of the Island really cares about will take place at the National Stadium on Sunday between Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago.

Bermuda fans in the Robin Hood may have been outnumbered by the Portuguese yesterday, but that didn't stop them predicting a full range of outcomes from the big World Cup battle, from the hopefuls praying for another miracle to those who just want to avoid an embarrassing thrashing.

One of the optimists, Andre Simons, told The Royal Gazette: "Our team is planning a victory. We are definitely going to have a victory. Three one."

Mr. Simons added by the way of caution: "I don't know, maybe that's just a bit of wishful thinking. But I'm proud of them." Another man, giving his name as J.B., was less sure.

"Bermuda's going to get stuffed," said J.B.

"They got lucky that one time, but you have to play by the numbers. We've got a population of 60,000. You are going to produce some footballers, but you are not going to produce 11 of them at one time. Trinidad put up a good performance against England the other week.

"I would love to see it — I just don't see it happening." Meanwhile, one of the Island's best known Trinidadians, ZBM presenter Gary Moreno, is confident his home country can overturn the 2-1 first leg deficit to progress to the next qualifying round.

"I was disappointed about the first match obviously — but these things happen in football and I guess we live to fight another day," said Mr. Moreno.

"In the last game, Trinidad were taken by surprise by Bermuda. Now they understand what they are up against and this time they will win. They will make the necessary adjustments."

Asked which Trinidad players Bermuda would need to watch out for, Mr. Moreno said he would prefer to keep them secret ahead of the big game.

In the unlikely scenario Kenny Thompson and the rest of his coaching staff don't already know, the answer to that question is Stern John and Carlos Edwards.

Adding spice to the occasion, Premier Ewart Brown has offered a friendly wager to Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning by asking him to place the pride of his country's national flower on the line.

The loser of the match will have to plant the other's national flower on the grounds of his official office — a Bermudiana for Bermuda or a Wild Poinsettia for Trinidad.

"The Prime Minister says he's not a betting man," said the Premier. "But I told him if his team advances I'll plant his flower at the Cabinet Office. If our team wins I will be sending him some Bermudiana.

"It's fair to say he is almost as excited as I am about Sunday's game. I am so proud of our team." Do you have a message to the team? E-mail news[[AT]]royalgazette.bm