Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, the Minister of Sports, has urged players of the national football team to aim for maximum points against Cape Verde when the two sides face-off in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Thursday.

"We are behind you, the entire country is behind you,” said the minister. "We have already lost twice but it is still possible to qualify, go make us proud.”

Munyangaju visited the team in camp on Sunday before departing for Cape Verde on a chartered RwandAir flight on Monday morning.

Vincent Mashami’s side will be looking for their first points in Group F after losing the first two matches against Mozambique and Cameroon last November, while victory for Cape Verde would lift them to five points.

Edouard Bamporiki, the State Minister at the Ministry of Youth and Culture, accompanied Munyangaju for the flag-off visit.

He challenged the players to put forward teamwork and "fight for the honour of the nation.”

"Teamwork is one of the core values of Rwandans, we urge you to work together for victory. When you take on Cape Verde, it is not only a battle for the important points, the pride of the nation will also be at stake.”

After Thursday’s clash, Rwanda will host the return-leg in Kigali just five days later – on November 17.

In another Group F match on Thursday, Cameroon host Mozambique in a clash for the top spot as both sides are level at 4 points after two match rounds. Cape Verde are third with 2 points.