Striker Onesme Twizerimana has said that everybody in the camp is aware that Rwanda’s second leg match against Djibouti in the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) preliminary round is a do or die affair. Coach Frank Spittler added the in-form Vision FC striker to his group preparing for the second leg at Amahoro Stadium on Thursday, October 31, as they look to overturn their 1-0 shock loss to Djibouti on October 27 and make it through the second round. “We just need to be focused for the whole game because, if we don’t, Djibouti will punish us just like they did in the first leg,” Twizerimana told Times Sport. “We are not in a good position to win but we’re confident that we can win second leg. Djibouti is a good side, so we need to be ready mentally and physically.” Twizerimana, 29, joined Amavubi camp on Monday, after scoring a hat trick in Vision’s 4-0 demolition of Marines in a Rwanda Premier League game held at Kigali Pele Stadium on Saturday, October 26. He will be hoping to take his goal scoring form to the national team and help Spittler eliminate Djibouti. It is, however, a difficult task for the home side which lost against the same side on the same ground. Djibouti seems to have got used to playing at the stadium from which they hosted their first leg as their usual home ground, El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium, remains banned from hosting international games because it does not meet required CAF or FIFA standards. But Twizerimana admits the entire group owes a victory to Rwandans and he remains optimistic that Rwanda can eliminate Djibouti and progress to the next round. “We are not a bad team but sometimes we are unlucky in-front of goal. We will be at home and we have to give 100% so that Rwandans can be happy,” he said. The team that will continue will face either South Sudan or Kenya in the second round of CHAN 2025 qualifiers scheduled in December. The CHAN 2024 finals will be held in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya from February 1-28, 2025.
