The domestic cup has finally resumed this week after a five-month halt since the previous round. We are reaching the home stretch of the competition as the last eight teams prepare for the quarter-final draw. Before the pairings are revealed on Monday, let’s recap what transpired on Wednesday!

Six BGL Ligue outfits have made crucial steps towards an appearance at the Stade de Luxembourg on 9 May for the cup final, but perhaps the most important question is whether anyone can follow in the footsteps of Marisca Mersch by reaching that stage from a lower division.

The last two teams with a shot of replicating just that are Hostert and Yellow Boys Weiler (both from the second-tier) who had highly contrasting routes until the quarter-finals. USH have knocked out two first-division opponents in a row after overcoming Racing Union this week, while the Yellow Boys have so far avoided having to face one of the top 16 teams.

Three teams eyeing chances of a double

Of the four main contenders for the league title after 22 matchdays, only F91 Dudelange have exited the cup competition so far, at the hands of rivals Differdange in the round of 32. The others have been given a somewhat more lenient schedule to date, all blitzing past lower-division sides until this stage.

The third-round draw pitted Differdange, Swift Hesper and Progrès Niederkorn against Mondercange, Bettembourg and Alisontia Steinsel respectively. Of the three underdogs, Mondercange seemed the most threatening, having just salvaged a point against Hesper in the league and facing a Differdange side that had just experienced their first loss of the season, which could have potentially acted as a turning point in the club’s season.

In the end, the polar opposite of the above scenario played out. Even with a slightly rotational line-up, FCD brushed Mondercange aside with ease, a two-goal cushion established early on before adding a third goal in the second half. Alisontia managed to get ahead through a strike from Alan Logrillo against Niederkorn, but the Wasps were soon able to find another gear and see their resilient Ehrenpromotion opponents off with a 3-1 final scoreline.

It proved to be SC Bettembourg who caused the most damage to a giant’s chances. Hesperange have already survived a scare in the previous round against amateurs Red Star Merl, overturning a 2-0 deficit to go through in the closing seconds. Now, up against the runaway leaders of the second division, they once again struggled. Although they went 3-0 up at some point, they failed to keep the required focus in the last stages of the game, and ended up conceding twice – and very deservedly so. Although the great comeback did not eventually materialise, Bettembourg showed just how ready-made they are for BGL Ligue in 2024/25.

After all three powerhouses prevailed, they will likely want to avoid having to face one another in the draw, but in the absence of any sort of seeding, there are no guarantees. However, there is one opponent they all might want to evade just as much…

No questions in Rumelange

Arguably the most in-form team in the entire Grand Duchy, Jeunesse Esch, made the short journey to neighbouring US Rumelange to continue their own cup adventure that has now taken them all across the southern parts of the country, from Schengen through Mamer to Rumelange at last.

As we move towards the end of a knockout-type competition, the task for each club is getting harder and harder on paper – but that is not quite what Jeunesse demonstrated on Wednesday evening.

Since this was their first appearance in the cup since their form started picking up in the winter and they embarked on a seven-game winning run, the difference between that Mamer game on a hazy November night and this one was clear for all to see.

Storming into a 3-0 lead inside the first half an hour, Jeunesse left no doubts about their motivation to secure a European qualification berth through the only remaining way possible after missing out on the top four positions in the league.

This was a statement of intent. After scoring four times upon inflicting Differdange’s first league defeat last week, they have once again opened the floodgates and pulled all the guns out. The scoreline at the end showed 0-5 – a defeat was probably expected by USR fans but the nature of it must have felt quite sobering.

Meanwhile, the Eschers show no signs of stopping. They are the team who have the most to win in this competition. In their current form, they have shown there are no impossible tasks for them around the country. We can be certain that this group of players are itching to turn their rampant spring form into silverware, and their only chance to do this is by defeating their next two opponents en route to the marquee occasion at the national stadium. And if their strong showings continue, it is well within their abilities to succeed.

Dramatic endings provided by unique format

Coupe de Luxembourg is the only senior competition in Luxembourg where the top teams could possibly have to face extra time and penalty shootouts. Given European ventures in the summer are only for a select few teams, this competition presents the only opportunity in many footballers’ lives to experience a shootout first-hand.

In the round of 16, only half of the games were decided after 90 minutes. Two of them required the 30-minute extra time to separate the two teams, while on two occasions, we could witness the ultimate spectacle at a knockout match-up: the thrill of penalties.

Yellow Boys Weiler and US Hostert were the first to finish their overtime shifts, eliminating Jeunesse Canach and Racing Union Luxembourg. Hostert’s game was the more dramatic of the two, not least because the Greens were regarded as underdogs, playing one level below Racing in the football pyramid. A 113th-minute strike from Kenan Avdusinović put an end to the suspense, knocking Marco Martino’s team straight out of the cup rather prematurely compared to their pre-season expectations.

The penalty shootouts were both worth watching. Schifflange ’95, involved in a relegation fight and badly struggling for results all year, were facing mid-table Mondorf, while UNA Strassen tried to restore at least some of their self-esteem after a disappointing draw against amateurs Norden FF.

Norden are the surprise story of this year’s competition, achieving giant-killer status after defeating Victoria Rosport and Lorentzweiler by eking out a string of 1-0 victories. This time, against Strassen, they kept the score at 0-0 for the majority of the game, but fell behind with seven minutes to go. Miraculously, they equalised in stoppage time. Quite the rollercoaster ride.
Alas, the underdogs would run out of luck in the shootout. Both Schifflange and Norden had two players miss their spot kick, while Strassen and Mondorf both completed theirs flawlessly. Norden’s scorer in the 90+5th minute, Tiago Pereira da Rocha, also spoilt his chance to become a hero for a second time, which brought the team’s impressive run to an end.

Full results:

Schifflange 1-1(p) Mondorf (Mabanza 18’; Bourigeaud 80’)

Bettembourg 2-3 Hesperange (Paris 58’, Müller 80‘; Sinani 24‘, Stolz 48‘, Lasme 53‘)

Rumelange 0-5 Jeunesse Esch (Latić 7‘, 28‘, Mendes Jr 10‘, 58‘, Mogni 48‘)

Mondercange 0-3 Differdange (Abreu 13‘, Lamas 36‘, Jorginho 64‘)

Hostert 1-0 Racing Union Luxembourg (Avdusinović 113‘)

Norden 1-1(p) Strassen (Pereira da Rocha 90+5‘; Azong 83‘)

Alisontia Steinsel 1-3 Progrès Niederkorn (Logrillo 11‘; Jarmouni 14‘, Mixtur 45‘, Lhéry 62‘)

The quarter-final draw will be published by the FLF (Luxembourgish Football Federation) on Monday afternoon. The next ties will be played on 24 April.