The matches that never happened

Swift Hesper hosted US Mondorf at Stade Alphonse Théis on Sunday afternoon, on a less than ideal pitch, which was nonetheless in a playable state. The two sets of players saw as much during their pre-match warm-up sessions, before they went to the dressing room for the final discussions before the event.

Except, some of them were not to be seen at the ground for the rest of the day. Referee Laurent Wilmes was patient, giving the hosts ten minutes after the game’s original kick-off date just in case, but the majority of the players had already fled the scene, leaving mysteriously. Manager Emmanuel da Costa and his rag-tag crew remained at the venue for a round of apologies directed at the opponents for the pointless journey, before officially forfeiting the match.

As it turned out, Hesperange’s players organised a strike for the match in advance, with captain Dominik Stolz and some of his teammates having been unpaid for months amid the financial instability caused by a bloated squad and the chaotic ownership of local tycoon Flavio Becca.

This was not the first time the team have protested against their unfair treatment, as they also had to cancel a friendly earlier this year for the same reasons. The fact that problems are still unsolved with several players arriving in the meantime sheds light on another level of financial irresponsibility by the board of directors at Holleschbierg.

Mondorf’s biggest win of the season will lift them to joint-sixth place, level on points with UNA Strassen. Their most impressive scoreline has ironically cost them the least effort. Meanwhile Hesperange will drop out of the podium spots with their recent defeat, and could face further punishments from the Luxembourgish Football Federation if the issue reoccurs within the 2024/25 season. The federation have not commented on the situation to date.

Escher derby pushed to next week

Two further encounters were postponed last weekend for much more trivial reasons, as the frozen surface did not allow for a safe game to be conducted. These will be replayed later this month, before the winter transfer window opens in January.

Hostert and Rodange both missed out on a rare opportunity to collect valuable points as their game fell victim of the weather, but for neutrals, the cancellation of the Escher derby was the real blow.

Jeunesse Esch had suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat against Strassen in their last competitive game after four consecutive victories, while Fola seemed to be on the opposite trajectory, registering their first win in the league since 25 August by defeating bottom-placed Mondercange.

Both teams will now see their momentum halted for another week, as one of the most-awaited fixtures in the top-tier calendar had to be re-arranged. The new date for the game is 11 December, 8pm.

Strassen and Racing – the ruthless outsiders

The established top-four powers of the current BGL Ligue landscape – Differdange, Dudelange, Hesper and Niederkorn – were widely expected to share the four continental places for next season between them, with little chance of an outsider taking one of the prized spots.

Looking at the table, an entirely different picture presents itself. Racing Union have just overtaken Swift Hesper on the podium after the latter’s failure to show up on Sunday, while UNA Strassen are closing in on Niederkorn in sixth place, in rampant form.

Racing’s unbeaten start to the season lasted eight games, but even after a temporary setback in October, they were able to regain their form and bounce back even stronger. Manager Yannick Kakoko has refined the team’s strategy, focusing more on a solid base to build upon, and a more patient approach to building out from the back than before.

The subtle tweaks have contributed to three consecutive clean sheets in the league, one of them being a sharp revenge on Hesper, knocking them out of the domestic cup in the round of 32. Attacker Okpo Mazié has been at the forefront of their resurgence, scoring the decider against Bettembourg on 23 November, before another important goal against Rosport last weekend.

Strassen’s fortunes, on the other hand, changed drastically when Stefano Bensi took charge in November. The performances under predecessor Vítor Pereira were often bland, unimaginative and middling, despite the squad being well-equipped to compete near the top. Bensi has changed things around, getting rid of the team’s previous structure and implementing a braver, more energetic style in attack to bring out the best of the numerous versatile forwards at his disposal.

The results have been emphatic and immediate, with the team defeating Kayl-Tétange 8-0 in their first cup game, followed by similarly impressive victories against more serious opponents. Jeunesse Esch found themselves on the wrong side of a 5-0 thumping, while Bettembourg have proved the latest victims of the monstrous Strassen team.

The revitalised strategy has also managed to keep the defensive stability despite largely focusing on more attacking-minded players than ever before. The team have kept clean sheets in all of Bensi’s matches in charge so far, while in front of goal, the sky is the limit for this roster. Zachary Hadji (former BGL Ligue top scorer), Matheus (in-house top scorer with 11 contributions), Nicolas Perez (experienced former Hesper marksman) and Conrad Azong (former Progrès super-sub) contribute to an attacking force almost unmatched around the country.

Strassen’s last opponents before the international break will be Victoria Rosport at home, while Racing will host leaders Differdange in what will be their most challenging match-up so far.

Around the pitches

Progrès Niederkorn failed to capitalize on rival Hesper’s issues, as they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw in Pétange. Hosts Union did well to regain defensive solidity after an underwhelming run of games, and the surprise result will surely boost the players’ morale in the dressing room, too. Niederkorn are fifth, one win from a European place, while Union are 10th, comfortably out of the relegation zone.

Differdange continued their unrelenting march to a title defence. After being confirmed autumn champions in November, they backed it up with a 4-1 dismantling of Wiltz 71. Wiltz, without key player Ralph Schon in goal, looked vulnerable throughout and were duly punished by the usual suspects, as Guillaume Trani netted a brace, and top scorer Jorginho chipped in with a goal and two assists. Wiltz are currently outside of the relegation play-off spots, but that might change depending on the outcome of the postponed fixtures.

Dudelange were the first team to win this weekend, starting Saturday with a 2-0 victory against Mondercange. In a rather one-sided and dull affair, it felt as though F91 only did the bare minimum needed to see off their inferior opponents, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table with a solitary point in 14 outings. F91 are in second place, but eight points behind leaders FCD.