Matchday 23 review

The earliest red card of the season

Less than a minute into Wiltz 71’s clash against UNA Strassen, referee Dani Dias Balsa had already had to stop the play twice after late challenges from the hosts’ aggressive, perhaps over-ambitious defenders. While the first foul brought no repercussions other than a free-kick, the second one, from former Jeunesse Esch defender Rick Brito, was arguably way harsher and potentially dangerous on Bruno Correia Mendes.

Although the winger continued to play after shaking off his minor injury, Strassen failed for most of the game to make their extra man advantage count. Things took a turn for the worse when their midfielder, Denis Agović, joined Brito in taking an early exit from the game in the 75th minute.

Both goals of the 1-1 draw were scored in the period between the two red cards, meaning Wiltz managed to find a lead while playing a man down, but then failed to hold onto it, conceding only four minutes later to a powerful strike from Conrad Azong.

Wiltz’s resilience without their centre-back was admirable, especially as the result earned them a 12th place above Marisca Mersch. They are currently positioned just outside the relegation playoff zone on goal difference, proving just how valuable it was for the players to keep a cool head for the remainder of the match after one of their teammates had failed at doing so.

Mondorf and Schifflange are truly inseparable

Despite the four-point gap between the two clubs on the table, there is really nothing separating US Mondorf and Schifflange ’95 on the pitch nowadays.

After a drab 1-1 draw in the Luxembourgish Cup round of 16 on Wednesday, Mondorf won the ensuing penalty shootout after Gauthier Caron and Mantené Coulibaly both missed for Schifflange.

On Sunday, with both teams under considerably less pressure and more freedom to play their game on their own terms, it was an entirely different experience, with a very similar outcome in the end. An ordinary first half culminated in a narrow 1-0 Angry Goats lead, but the second half brought plenty of tension, energy and drama.

Coulibaly managed to exact revenge after his penalty miss by equalising after a marauding run down the left side of the attack, and a cross from that same side once again bore fruit seven minutes later, when Vancy Mabanza beat hesitant goalkeeper (and captain) João Machado at the far post with his thumping header ensuring Schifflange turned the game on its head to complete the comeback.

USM’s answer to the unfortunate turn of events was a converted penalty shortly after, taken by fresh substitute Diogo Fernandes, and slotted coolly past the goalkeeper. Schifflange had their work cut out for them for the rest of the game after a 70th-minute red card to defender Franck Momo (which also brought a yellow card to manager Ismaël Bouzid due to his heavy protests against the decision.

Paul Edjongo of Schifflange found the net in the 80th minute to put his team ahead once again, but the final seconds still proved exciting. Mondorf defender Pit Simon was the quickest to get to a rebound after some sloppy play from S95 at the back and an unsuccessful attempt to clear the ball to safety.

Thanks to their second draw in less than a week’s time, Schifflange have overtaken Mondercange to crawl out of the automatic relegation zone. Mondorf are still relatively safe for now, but they might have to up their game if they are to avoid a scare in the final gameweeks of the season, when the results are always at their most chaotic and all the teams threatened by the drop usually find another gear in the end.

Two of the top four drop points: Will there be a title race?

The four teams with a realistic aim of achieving a podium finish at the end of the season (and thus qualifying for European competitions) have not all won their respective games within a specific gameweek since Matchday 13 back in November. Ever since then, it was about who the weakest link (or links) of the four is, and whether their slip-ups will be punished by their rivals.

Differdange were runaway leaders for the majority of the spring after going the first 22 matches of the season unbeaten, but even their recent loss to Jeunesse Esch might have been an affordable mistake if the others behind them cannot get past their own problems.

Jeunesse proved Dudelange’s kryptonite this past Sunday, after stopping perhaps FCD’s main competitor effectively. Midfielder Alexis Larrière’s opener looked like it could be worth 3 points for the resurgent Eschers, but a late equaliser from another Frenchman, F91 centre-back Vincent Decker prevented the Black-and-Whites from a ninth consecutive win in all competitions.

Meanwhile in Esch-sur-Alzette, while Jeunesse’s pitch stood vacated, there was another BGL Ligue match in town, as Fola hosted Niederkorn. A string of impressive showings in the spring from Fola continued as they battled bravely against the Wasps even after going a man down, losing defender Udoka Chima to a red card in the first half.

Their clean sheet is perhaps their greatest single result to date, and the biggest achievement of their 2023/24 season, as it puts them within two points of safety.

Differdange themselves brushed Marisca Mersch away with relative ease at home, and looking at the other contenders dropping so many points and coming up short regularly, they might have breathed a sigh of relief as they are closing in on their first-ever league title.

However, the run-in can still change the outcome of the league. FCD are yet to face two powerhouses, Hesperange and Niederkorn in 2024. That Hesper clash, in less than two weeks’ time, might provide a clearer picture of just where each of the two teams are standing in terms of their silverware hopes. As for the Progrès aspect, the two sides have been drawn to face each other in the Coupe de Luxembourg quarter-final on 24 April, which will set the scene perfectly for the 13 May showdown in Niederkorn, two matches away from the season’s conclusion.

Apart from those two giant tasks ahead of the current leaders, there are other tricky opponents they will have to defeat in order to deny Hesperange or Dudelange of any chance to be crowned champions. Union Titus Pétange and Victoria Rosport are the perfect examples of solid top-half teams who are always playing on the front foot and can catch even the best teams in the country out with their surgical counter-attacks.

Then, in the last matchday, Differdange travel to Esch again to face Fola. It is absolutely plausible to think Fola will have all to play for in that final game, as their league status is still hanging in the balance as of today. Avoiding relegation from the lows of 2023 will be a huge ask from Stefano Bensi’s crew, but they have weathered the storm thus far in 2024 and will no doubt be giving it their all to escape the drop and they have showed that they can be pretty uncomfortable opponents when it is needed.

In conclusion, the current six-point gap between first and second might just be a tad misleading. There is plenty still up for stakes here, and if Swift Hesper managed to beat FCD later this month, every single performance, both at an individual and team level, can have the potential to single-handedly provide (or deprive a team from) final triumph.

Around the pitches

Dutch attacker Adham El Idrissi inspired a 3-0 Rosport win in the capital as they blitzed past fellow top-half outfit Racing Union Luxembourg. Racing’s inconsistent form shows no signs of stopping, which can be explained by the high number of youngsters on the roster but is nevertheless highly frustrating for manager Marco Martino given the potential of the players at his disposal.

Union Titus Pétange inflicted a second consecutive 3-0 defeat from Mondercange with the help of two late goals. After conceding three in the cup against Differdange, FCM have done it again against a far more beatable opponent this time, and are back in the direct relegation zone. With the least goals scored and most conceded across the 16-team field, their displays need urgent improvement if they want to stake a claim to stay in the top tier for 2024/25.

Swift Hesper ticked off a must-win encounter in Käerjéng as they ran out deserved 3-1 winners. Raphael Holzhauser scored again for the first time in almost a month, and the rest of the midfield seems to be just as unstoppable at the moment, with the other two goals coming from Jérome Simon and Dejvid Sinani respectively. Hesper have claimed their second place back from F91 thanks to the win, while Käerjéng are still two points above the relegation play-offs.

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