Differdange head into the international window on top

The question of the week was arguably who could gain the upper hand at a heated, and much-awaited derby between last season’s champions, Differdange (FCD), and their cross-city rivals, Progrès Niederkorn.
 
For the first time all season, FCD’s attacking force, built around last season’s top scorer Jorginho and sought-after French creator Guillaume Trani was successfully contained by the visitors. FCD were kept at bay for the majority of the game, although Niederkorn themselves had a quiet day in front of their opponents’ goal as a result.
 
The breakthrough came after a corner (one of the rare instances when marking Trani – the taker – was not a straightforward solution), which found Brazilian holding midfielder Leandro around the six-yard box, who fired home on the volley. His first goal in a Differdange shirt could not have come at a much better time, as his shot proved the difference between two incredibly organised and well-prepared sides.
 
The result means FCD have been able to keep five clean sheets in a row, and have still not conceded a single goal in the current edition of the competition. Niederkorn, having also enjoyed a perfect start until the recent derby, can head into the break in joint-second place, alongside Swift Hesperange and F91 Dudelange who have also only suffered one loss each this campaign.

Mondorf enter purple patch – right at the worst time?

A morale-boosting 5-1 victory against Rodange 91 meant the world for the Angry Goats, who started the year unremarkably and seemed destined to repeat their bottom-half finish of last season after the first four rounds.
 
On Sunday, all of their newest assets showed how shrewd their signings were by the club’s staff, as Mohamed Khairane scored on his debut, while Yann Godart also started his account for the club after finding the net in the second half. Khairane’s purchase from the Swedish lower leagues is especially eye-catching, but so is the fact they could lure Marseille academy graduate, Godart, 22, away from French outfit Épinal.
 
However, the most memorable performance of all undeniably belongs to fellow new recruit Stefan Lopes. The former Käerjéng and Strassen winger was brought onto the pitch 89 minutes in, his side seemingly coasting towards a 3-1 win without ever breaking a sweat. Enter Lopes, and a goal in the first minute of stoppage time, before an assist to Loris Tinelli’s goal three minutes later, and the most influential player of the day might as well have been the last substitute this time.
 
Mondorf’s only win before the Rodange game was a meagre 2-1 against lowly Bettembourg, before they fell to consecutive defeats against Rosport and Differdange in the last two weeks. That short slump has all but ended for USM, but whether they can sustain their strong showings after the international break is still an open question. As the whole squad can train together while some other clubs lose players to national team commitments, there is every reason to believe Mondorf will continue precisely where they had left off once they return to the pitch on 15 September against Wiltz 71 at the Stade John Grün.

Shaken-up Hesperange experience first major setback

New manager Emmanuel da Costa had a lot on his in-tray when he arrived at the helm in Holleschbierg in the middle of pre-season. Some players came and went against his will, others turned out to be beyond the financial muscle of the club and thus had to be released mere weeks after they arrived, while others never really got a chance to show themselves in the flesh due to the bloated squad da Costa inherited – before trimming it to a still outrageous 35 players.
 
Regardless of the disappointing results at friendly games and a less-than-ideal adaptation period for the French head coach in the summer, Hesper started the season almost as steadily as they did in their triumphant 2022/23 campaign. Leader and captain Dominik Stolz seems to have rediscovered his mojo after a tumultuous last year, and netted five times in the opening four fixtures (only bettered by Hostert winger Kenan Avdusinović).
 
After their rampant start (4/4 wins, 16 goals scored), their first slip came in unbelievable fashion. The work of the previous two months practically blew up in Swift’s faces after a disappointing, and rather embarrassing 3-0 loss to newly-promoted Bettembourg, who collected their first points in the league with their glorious home result.
 
Their early-season form indicated the need for a sharp turn in SCB’s fortunes, and manager Olivier Baudry took to public with his intention to motivate the team for future games, after a perceived overconfidence and complacency plaguing their first season after their Éierepromotioun league title in May.
 
The players answered their boss’ rallying cries, and did so emphatically: with 17 minutes on the clock, the hosts were already two goals in front. Their win was never in doubt for the remainder of the game either, and their brave, attacking approach finally paid off against a definitively stronger opponent, after so many failed attempts.
 
Bettembourg returned to the National Division after 51 years of absence, and many feared that their current streak will also be short-lived. Granted, they are short of stars and big names, but as long as they can keep their heads down and realistically set their ambitions and goals for the year, there might still be a way they can stay away from relegation trouble.
 
For Hesperange, their loss deprived them of a joint-first position for now, which is absolutely no travesty at such an early stage. However, some individual performances will surely give da Costa some selection headaches when BGL Ligue football resumes for the team against Victoria Rosport.

The Red Lions in action

The international break also means that the Luxembourgish senior national team, along with the U21 selection, will both test themselves competitively in the upcoming period.
 
Luc Holtz’s Red Lions will face Northern Ireland in Belfast on Thursday 5 September, followed up by a home game at the Stade de Luxembourg against a much subtler quality of opposition in Belarus. The only other team in Luxembourg’s Nations League group are Bulgaria. The best performing team over the next three months will be granted a promotion to Division B and a favourable spot in the upcoming World Cup qualifying draw.
 
The U21s will conclude their unsuccessful European Championship qualifying campaign with home games against Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland. The Young Lions can still overtake the latter to finish fourth in the six-strong group, behind clear favourites England, Ukraine and Serbia.
 
Meanwhile, Luxembourg’s best U17 players will be involved in a double-header of friendlies against Albania on 4 and 6 September, respectively.