Matchday 30 review

FC Differdange had their official title presentation after their game against Fola Esch, which ended in a 2-0 defeat. FCD had never won the Luxembourgish top flight in their 21-year history.

Now they did so in sweeping fashion, with a five-point lead above second-placed Swift Hesper and only two losses all campaign (losing to the two Escher teams, coincidentally). The champions could perhaps be accused of focusing more on the post-game celebrations and the open-top bus party around town, and it proved costly against a hungry Fola team with a lot on the line.

Fola Esch's fate was not in their own hands before the kick-offs on Sunday, as they knew relegation was unavoidable unless results go favourably elsewhere. They did, as Marisca Mersch failed to beat Victoria Rosport, thus becoming the second team to go down after Schifflange.

The result also meant that the two promoted sides from the season before are heading straight back down, something that last happened in 2018, when Rodange 91 and US Esch proved inadequate at the top level.

This statistic, paired with the fact both relegation playoff ties were won by the upper-tier side point towards a widening gap between the top two leagues in terms of quality and financial muscle.

For a second year running, it is UN Käerjéng and Fola Esch who have to contest the playoff battles – this time around, their opponents will be US Hostert and US Rumelange respectively. In May 2023, it was Bettembourg and Jeunesse Canach who failed to cause an upset.

Bettembourg have since smashed through the ceiling and became champions, while Canach struggled against relegation for much of this season, eventually finishing in the bottom half of the Éierepromotioun table.

Rosport win not enough

After their European license request was rejected by UEFA, Swift Hesperange had little to play for against Strassen. Prestige was the only thing at stake: the possibility of finishing second, coupled with the reality of playing against the biggest beneficiary of their license misery, the team who could yet qualify from Europe despite finishing well below the allocated spots.

It turns out they could handle the situation professionally enough, scoring two first-half goals through nice interplay between Jérôme Simon and Lucas Correia to impose a serious threat on Strassen's European aspirations.

The hosts were unable to reduce the deficit, even though a single goal could have been vital for them in their goal difference comparison with Victoria Rosport.

Rosport's own prospects were looking darker as they lacked the desired attacking edge to break down a Marisca defence essentially playing for their lives.

The breakthrough failed to arrive until after the 70-minute mark, when André Redekop scored the all-important opener to put his team level on points in sixth place. Adham El Idrissi's goal in the 87th minute firmly decided the outcome of the match and all but sent Marisca down.

However, despite a heroic fight with ten men after Dāvis Sprūds' red card and a strong final 20 minutes, they ended up coming one goal short. Strassen’s goal difference proved superior (+2 to +1), which makes them the lucky mid-table team to arrive for the rebound after the bans of Hesper and Jeunesse from Europe.

Fola and Mondercange got by again

Fola Esch and FC Mondercange had strikingly similar endings to the last two editions of the BGL Ligue.

In Fola's case, they found themselves in a near-impossible situation before the whistle was blown for their last game of the season, and yet ended up climbing up to the playoff spots, where they then prevailed (whether they will repeat the trick against Rumelange will be seen later this week).

For Mondercange, they looked like the worst team alongside Fola for long stretches of the season, but it mattered for nothing when they had the opportunity to take three points from some of their fellow relegation candidates with dogged defending and disciplined, organised performances.

With their form fluctuating between middling and dismal, it was hard to envisage them reaching automatic safety – but they did, with a 2-1 win against Käerjéng.

Two seasons of Mondercange in the BGL Ligue have brought about 112 goals conceded, and a combined tally of 61 points in 60 matches. They do not look particularly established at this level, which makes their achievement all the more impressive.

Wins against your direct competitors are worth the most – and FCM show us that it can be just enough, even if they end up conceding eight times in the following game against one of the heavyweights.

Fola still have the difficult task of keeping Rumelange at bay at hand, but the comeback they have made in the past six months when everyone had written them off is remarkable.

Stefano Bensi's crew collected 17 points in the second half of the season (10th-best in the calendar year), which is almost double that of the two relegated sides, Marisca and Schifflange (9 each).

What both clubs lack in quality they realised they could compensate for with their exceptional mental strength. It has allowed them to bridge the gap that existed at times between them and the rest of the field, successfully overthrowing the two less experienced, more fragile opponents.

What happens next?

Before all clubs head for their summer breaks and set about planning their summer transfers, there are still two crucial games to be played. Bettembourg and Rodange have already been promoted, but they could potentially be joined by Rumelange or Hostert.

Käerjéng will host Hostert on Friday 31 May in an attempt to keep their place in the National Division. Fola Esch, meanwhile, will play Rumelange two days later, for the last place up for grabs for 2024/25.

Both ties are one-legged and the winners will gain entry to the first tier, while the losers will play in the Éierepromotioun from August.

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