BGL Ligue: Quiet derby and a nasty brawl

Fans at the Stade am Petz in Wiltz could be witnesses of deeply concerning scenes after the home side’s game against Progrès Niederkorn on Saturday evening. During first-half stoppage time, Niederkorn midfielder Chris Lybohy was given a red card, with the score standing at 1-1.
 
As Lybohy made his way down the tunnel after the referee’s verdict, he was greeted by what Niederkorn officials described as “clear racist chants” coming from the Wiltz end. Although the hosts denied the allegations, video footage of the game shows a clear evidence of the reaction the Wasps complained about.
 
Although the Progrès end lodged a complaint to the referee during the break, the players came out for the second half, which suffered from no major interruptions. In the 92nd minute, another Niederkorn player – Kenny Mixtur – was sent off, and a fight broke out after the final whistle.
 
Soiyir Sanali’s attempt to talk to Wiltz captain Kévin Malget proved ineffective, as their tussle attracted further Wiltz players to the scene, including an aggressive Jack Mmaee, who quickly shoved Sanali to the ground before having his nose broken by a retaliatory Lybohy.
 
The FLF have not published an official statement regarding the consequences of the worrying events in regards to closed-door fixtures or any additional suspensions. Lybohy’s red card prevents him from playing in his side’s next competitive fixture in all circumstances, while Mmaee will also certainly require some time to recover from his injuries before stepping on a football pitch.
 
In any case, as long as such crowd reactions are allowed on the terraces of any ground in the country, the reluctance from families and children to attend football games remains justified. In a league boasting players from more than 40 different countries, Stade am Petz shows itself as a place where not everyone may be welcome. The longer it takes for the association to clamp down on such discrimination, the more awkward their situation will become.

FCM continue their slump

With their 0-2 loss at the hands of Victoria Rosport, FC Mondercange became one of only six teams to record a 0-point start in the first 7 matchdays of the league this century.
 
Of the previous five unlucky candidates, only US Hostert (2011, -29), Mamer (2006, -22) and Hamm Benfica (2021, -21) had a worse goal difference to accompany their woeful start than FCM’s -17.
 
The resignation of head coach Sébastien Mazurier further muddied the waters around the Red-and-Blacks, who recorded their latest defeat without the Frenchman. An otherwise struggling Rosport team found the net only eight minutes in on Sunday, and cruised to a comfortable victory afterwards.
 
The bad news don’t end here either: FCM’s next game will be on Wednesday against the reigning champions, FC Differdange. Considering the fact FCD are yet to concede all season, it sounds like a nigh-on impossible task for Marc Depienne’s crew to be the ones to buck that trend.
 
Should Mondercange lose their next game, they would be joined by Jeunesse Canach (2010) as the only teams to ever lose their first eight games before picking up a point. Canach proceeded to accumulate three more defeats before picking up their first win in Matchday 12. Unless Mondercange gain some momentum soon, one of the relegation places will soon be all but decided.

Differdange and Hesper manage the workload smartly

The much-awaited clash of the weekend between the top two sides in the table brought less excitement and drama than expected, as both Differdange and Swift Hesperange took a rather pragmatic stance when the two sides faced off on Sunday afternoon.
 
A feisty and fiery affair between the two elite sides provided few outstanding moments but Emmanuel da Costa’s Swift team looked as balanced as ever this season. Limiting the threat from FCD’s deadly duo, Jorginho and Guillaume Trani, was imperative. Their task was arguably made much easier after Jorginho’s red card in the 70th minute, but it speaks volumes about Hesper’s heroic defending that they managed to hold a clean sheet.
 
The second half saw both sides striving to score the decider, and the closing stages were filled with enticing opportunities at both ends. Dominik Stolz took the centre stage in the end as he fired two consecutive attempts at Felipe’s goal, but the former Brazilian Cup-winner held firm and denied the talismanic German.
 
The result undoubtedly helped both sides as they extended their respective unbeaten streaks, and will continue their schedules with midweek fixtures. Hesper’s match-up against Rodange sounds winnable at the very least, while Mondercange are expected to pose little threat to Differdange’s ambitions of taking another step towards defending their title.

Around the pitches

Hostert demolished a toothless Fola Esch 4-0 to start the weekend, with league top scorer Kenan Avdusinović adding his name on the scoresheet, after striker Kévin Quinol netted in his first match against his old club since leaving them in the summer. Without Quinol, Fola have only scored 3 goals in 7 outings, making for the quietest attack in the league except Mondercange.
 
Racing FCUL are now in a podium place after an impressive 3-0 win over US Mondorf on Saturday. Yann Mabella’s purple patch continues, as the Congolese striker has found the net five times in seven appearances so far. Mondorf, on the other hand, are holding onto their mid-table position in 8th.
 
F91 Dudelange might have lost a derby last week, but they have more than made up for it this week, as they kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 win against UNA Strassen. Marco Martino dropped his oft-criticised bold, front-foot approach and switched to a more organised, but more conservative tactic which worked wonders at the Jean Wirtz sports complex, as Filip Bojić’s goal tipped the balance in the Yellows’ favour.