Matchday 21 review

The relegation scrap is changing ever so quickly, an inevitable situation due to the congested nature of the table. Marisca Mersch, Mondorf and Wiltz are all now finding themselves in immediate danger of being dragged below the imaginary red line, after surprise wins from some less-favoured rivals Käerjéng and Mondercange last week.

Fola Esch's gap to safety is back at five points, after the Eschers fell back from a resurgent early-March form with two losses in their last two outings. But it's not only the rear end of the table where one might start drawing conclusions already…

Is the title race over?

Well, if it is, it was clearly over before it had begun. FC Differdange 03 are one of only four teams in across all first divisions in Europe (summer leagues excluded) who are yet to lose a league game in 2023/24. Their advantage above F91 Dudelange stood at four points before the two teams saw head-to-head on Saturday, enough to cope with any result without pressure reaching a boiling point in the dressing room.

Eventually, FCD left little to chance against Dudelange, as was predicted. Their defence proved impenetrable as they racked up their ninth clean sheet of the season (and their fifth in the six games since they signed Christian Schoissengeyr in defence), while a penalty and a late counter-attack proved sufficient in attack.

League top scorer Jorginho increased his tally to 17 this season with a nicely taken spot kick to give FCD a well-deserved lead in the first half. F91 started nervously and were pinned back by the more confident hosts early on. Not long after the hour mark, Dudelange manager Claudio Lombardelli was shown a red card for dissent, leaving assistant manager Jonathan Joubert to the duty of handling the affairs in the closing stages.

Although Dudelange kept trying to creep back into the game, their attacks proved fruitless and their commitment slightly naïve: after one last-ditch attempt to equalise, they ended up leaving too many bodies further up the field, paving the way for substitutes Néstor Monge and Ludovic Rauch to combine for a goal right before the full-time whistle.

Extending their lead to seven points, Differdange could hardly have hoped for a better display and result. Cutting out one of the main title rivals is only half the story. The other half was told by the sheer dominance and confidence from the team when it mattered most. Although a few stern tests await FCD before they could put their hands on the club’s first-ever BGL Ligue trophy, this side looks every bit like champions in the making.

Mendes Jr is firing Jeunesse back into relevance

The story of Jeunesse's escape from the relegation zone and steady climb into the upper half of the table has been mentioned numerous times on these columns in the past weeks, but even with the team safely sailing in mid-table, they show no signs of slowing down. What we are seeing on the pitch is not a team comfortable with where they had gotten in the last couple of games. They do not relent, and one of the protagonists of their meteoric rise has arguably been Armando Mendes Jr.

With the Eschers facing the prospect of a venture into the lower divisions for the first time since 1949, their winter business was centred on game changers in attack and difference-makers in the backline.

As for the former, they recruited Mendes Jr from Stade Laval's academy in France, while for the latter, 36-year old Tarek Nouidra made his grand return at a time of need.

Although Nouidra's instant impact cannot be overstated – and it would be foolish to overlook the tenacity and professionalism he adds to Jeunesse every day - it was Mendes who has been especially eye-catching (granted, he’s much more often in the spotlight as an striker).

Five goals and two assists in seven games means it would be an obvious understatement to call Mendes merely good value for money. Signed on a free transfer after being released by Laval, the Senegalese slotted right into the starting XI, which he seems to fit like a glove. His acceleration and ball control often provides opposition defenders with a dilemma: if they try and outrun him, they will most likely fail, but if they retract and don’t engage, they allow space for Jeunesse's other attackers to flourish.

Both as a centre-forward or playing off the right flank like he used to in France, Mendes Jr is able to give his team that constant threat in attack that makes opposing managers think twice about playing too high a backline. His understanding of the teammates' positioning is excellent, too, resulting in dangerous link-up plays with the opposite winger Antonio Luisi, who seems to excel at creating chances.

The latest game in Mondorf did not go the way Jeunesse planned tactically, as the Angry Goats had way more of the ball and in more dangerous areas, but individual quality proved superior on the day. Mendes' brilliant header was his team’s first goal (completely out of the blue), before an own goal doubled the Eschers' lead who made no blunders for the rest of the game.

Around the pitches

Resilient Strassen did a great job at keeping Niederkorn's attacks at bay, but came up just short: an unlucky rebound fell straight to Omar Natami, whose shot bounced in off the goalkeeper. The win keeps Progrès on track for a top-of-the-table race, while Strassen's mid-table position remains unchanged and unchallenged for now.

Wiltz 71 and Victoria Rosport made sure to entertain the 401 supporters to have made the trip to the Ardennes with some easy-on-the-eye build-ups and a few wondergoals. Slick counter-attacks from Victoria's attack were sandwiched between two volleys from Wiltz players Alexandro Cavagnera and Jack Mmaee, to help the hosts retain one point with a last-gasp equaliser. The draw keeps Wiltz just outside the relegation playoff places, albeit merely on goal difference, while Rosport seem less troubled about bottom-of-the-table fights.

Union Titus Pétange scored three goals against Fola Esch in the first half of their game, putting the fate of the three points without doubt before Fola could even get a handle on the match. The second half was less about the fun, more about the scraps: two players were sent off in the final ten minutes (Fred Paulus from Fola and Till Hermandung from Union).

Swift Hesperange visited the capital all guns blazing, and their encounter with Racing Union FC brought a thrilling start, with three goals in the first six minutes! Later on, with the initial chaos fading somewhat, Hesper's dominance crystallised through a brace from Raphael Holzhauser, an unlucky own goal and a Dejvid Sinani solo effort. The 2-5 loss looks harsher than what Racing's performance deserved, but Swift were arguably more clinical, especially with their set pieces.

Mondercange FC celebrated their first victory since 3 September when they beat 9-man Schifflange 2-1 in stoppage time. Veteran Mickael Garos opened the scoring for Schifflange in the middle of the second half, but the Red-and-Blacks found enough time to turn the game on its head due to late goals from Madan Samba and Johnny Amadei. The two teams are tied on points, but Mondercange’s worse goal difference mean they still haven’t escaped the automatic relegation spots.

The other bottom-half derby brought significantly less drama and less entertainment, as Käerjéng forward Idir Boutrif scored the only goal in his team’s win against Marisca Mersch. UNK are now level on points with Mondorf and Wiltz, situated in the last relegation playoff place.

As always, the games' live commentaries, highlights and full video footage are all available on RTL.lu's Live Arena hub.