Luxembourg’s representatives continued their respective continental journeys this week, as UNA Strassen reached the end of the road in Finland, unlike Differdange and F91 Dudelange.
Last season’s BGL Ligue champions FC Differdange kicked off their first-ever Champions League campaign with a loss in the Faroe Islands against Klaksvík in disappointing fashion last week, and the pattern continued: a combined 46 shots attempted over the two legs brought no success, while KÍ scored two from only nine attempts.
A vastly improved attack spearheaded by Federico Andrada came close to threatening Klaksvík’s aggregate lead on Wednesday night, but the finishes were often wayward and the shooting positions naïve.
With a lack of poise in front of goal, FCD’s domination with the ball meant little, and the players often seemed desperate to score upon entering the final third of the pitch. Left wing-back Rychelmy was a shadow of Lucas Pruzzo’s calm presence with the ball at his feet, which makes replacing the departing Argentinian one of the most important tasks for Pedro Resende before the BGL Ligue start.
Árni Frederiksberg’s brace separated the teams in the tie, and Klaksvík eventually gained qualification to the tournament’s second round. FCD, meanwhile, will have the arduous task of flying to Kazakhstan on the agenda, as local champions Ordabasy Shymkent await in the Europa Conference League qualifiers.
The substantial amount of travelling coupled with a few nights’ stay in or near Shymkent makes the next step financially challenging for Differdange, too. On the pitch, if the squad can shake off the jetlag in their second leg on 1 August, the draw is looking favourable, at least.
50% success rate in the Conference League
In the second round of the UECL, UEFA’s tertiary club competition, Differdange will be joined by two other sides from the Grand Duchy in Progrès Niederkorn and F91 Dudelange.
While Niederkorn qualifies automatically after their Luxembourgish Cup victory, Dudelange and Strassen also had the opportunity to progress to that stage on Thursday. F91 faced Andorran Atlétic Escaldes from a one-goal aggregate lead, while UNA Strassen travelled to Kuopio after a heroic 0-0 last week.
Strassen’s fortunes unfolded early on as a quick brace from 18-year-old midfielder Otto Ruoppi, assisted twice by Joslyn Luyeye-Lutumba, turned the tie in KuPS’ favour. There was no coming back for an aggressive and daring UNA in the second half either, as three further goals punished their lack of adept defensive cover in the latter stages of the game. Despite the 5-0 aggregate, their first-leg performance was admirable and will live long in the players’ memory. In Finland, the lack of accuracy and sharpness with the ball cost them dearly.
The opposite can be said about F91 Dudelange at Stade Jos Nosbaum. Their 1-0 victory last week was achieved by a calamitous free kick that caught the goalkeeper off-guard and bounced into the bottom long corner. Most of the possession was with the Andorrans, who could easily have won by several goals if only their attacks were finished as surgically as they had been built up.
Fast forward to this Thursday, and the script was completely flipped. Dudelange enjoyed a stellar defensive performance, which proved a fruitful and solid foundation to a more free-flowing, combinative attacking display than last time out. The fact Marco Martino and his coaching staff had a week to analyse and prepare for Atlétic’s vulnerabilities was also apparent from the start.
A tweaked line-up suffocated Atlétic Escaldes, especially in the second half after their initial, more pragmatic approach looked to be just enough to secure a draw. Luckily, once Atlétic were in a position to initiate attacks and fight for their lives, Martino’s F91 was primed to take all risks and grab every opportunity to end the contest and progress to the next round.
That target was accomplished by a cool-headed Samir Hadji penalty in the 60th minute, and another close-range finish from the Moroccan after a perfectly organised pressing scheme shortly afterwards.
Dudelange’s 3-0 win on aggregate emphasises the difference both in technical quality and mental resilience between the two sides. Atlétic crumbled in the two most important points of the tie: last week, when all was up for grabs, and now again at 0-0 with all possibilities still looking open. Contrastingly, F91 were able to found another gear in those situations, tipping the scales on their side just when it was needed the most.
In the second round, Differdange host Ordabasy on Tuesday, from 7pm CEST (Central European Summer Time). Two days later, Progrès and F91 will occupy the same time slot against two Swedish opponents: the Wasps will play Djurgården in Stockholm, while Stade Jos Nosbaum will host F91 Dudelange vs BK Häcken. UNA Strassen have been eliminated from European competitions altogether.
