Mondorf halt Strassen’s momentum

US Mondorf travelled to Strassen on Sunday with the aim of closing the gap to the top six and solidifying their place in upper mid-table. The task was arduous: Strassen had been unbeaten for 12 games in all competition before the clash, winning four of their previous five outings.

The underdogs took the lead after a little over a quarter of an hour through Hatim Far’s header, from a Lilian Fournier assist. Strassen created several dangerous chances across the first half, and their form showed no major regression, but João Machado did well to keep their attackers at bay.

In the second half, Fournier took matters into his own hands, and scored two goals to add to his assist from earlier and effectively seal the game’s fate. From 3-0 down, UNA could manage a late consolation goal thanks to substitute Jimmy Teixeira, but had to settle for the narrow loss this time.
 
The defeat puts Strassen four points away from second place and behind third-placed Swift Hesper on goal difference. Their next match against Progrès Niederkorn, two points and two places behind them, can be crucial to their chances of qualifying for continental competition at the end of the season.
 
Mondorf are still five points behind sixth place, and the Conference League berths look like a long shot. But their primary objective of staving off relegation as early as possible will be resolved sooner rather than later.

El Idrissi, the harshly-treated supersub

It is no wonder FC Differdange are cruising towards a successful title defence – they have a plethora of quality options for every position.

The attack is no different. Last season’s best player Guillaume Trani is helped by the dynamic Artur Abreu, the most valuable player in the division in Fede Varela, winter signing André Mendy, talented loanee Gustavo Simões, and proven goal-getter Andreas Buch.

There is also someone else – someone who has only played 360 minutes in the league all season, but nevertheless averages a goal contribution every 60 minutes on the field.
 
Adham El Idrissi was signed by FCD in July 2024 after an exceptional half-season helping Victoria Rosport stay in the division earlier that year. Rosport got him for free after a failed Greek adventure, and helped him reach the highest market value of his career (€150,000, according to Transfermarkt) in just under five months.
 
Differdange wanted to strengthen their attack with someone with international experience, and the former Netherlands youth international suited the profile perfectly, to complement the explosive Jorginho – Trani duo.
 
However, El Idrissi has found minutes hard to come by once the season kicked off. His value has declined by one-third and it can easily continue if the Dutchman keeps getting consistently overlooked for the starting XI.

So far, he has been afforded a single start in the BGL Ligue, and one in the domestic cup (recording a hat-trick against amateurs Colmar-Berg). He started three of FCD’s four European matches on the bench, missing one entirely through an ankle injury.

When he is on the pitch, though, El Idrissi does contribute to his team’s successes: over the month of October, for example, he scored two goals and registered an assist in 21 minutes of game time spread out over three separate cameos. In two of those three games, he was subbed on in stoppage time and still managed to find the net both times.

When you see the striker play, his condition seems ideal: agile, sharp and hungry for success. And yet, even after top scorer Jorginho was sold in the summer, the club looked for a new signing instead of solving the problem internally, turning to either one of Buch, El Idrissi or Gustavo (or a rotation of the three).

Having three extremely prolific strikers on the bench at all times (Buch has 5 goal contributions over 164 minutes, or one every 32.8 minutes) seems like an incredible luxury. Differdange will likely play Champions League qualifiers next season, and Trani is expected to be sold for a hefty transfer fee, but based on past evidence, we might see a new replacement cast from abroad instead of promoting one of the existing options (though Fede Varela’s signing looks like the perfect succession plan).

As for El Idrissi, it might be worth taking a step back in order to make two steps forward in the future. His qualities are wasted warming the bench for 85 minutes or more each weekend, and while his numbers still look impressive, his best years are ahead of him and could be spent at a team where he could play an important role.

In the meantime, Differdange can be happy with their 15-point lead at the top of the table, and it’s a matter of time before they mathematically secure the title. Thanks to El Idrissi, among others – as the striker scored again this Sunday, completing the 4-0 rout of Mondercange in the 85th minute.

Is Racing’s season crumbling?

Racing Union Luxembourg were one of the revelations of the season. Having encountered financial issues in the last few years and after selling some of their most valuable assets, the board kept emphasising the need for patience and trust in a time of turmoil in the merger club’s history.
 
On the pitch, the polar opposite was unfolding. Yannick Kakoko’s team started with seven unbeaten games, looked like title contenders for most of the autumn and the new signings clicked into gear perfectly. The youngsters thrust into the starting XI showed maturity beyond their age, and the experienced core of the team were reliable in providing the foundation for their success.

Fast forward to February, and the picture is different altogether. Since the restart, RFCUL won only two of their seven games, and rank 11th in the form table. They are still only two points away from a place in Europe, and can also look forward to a Luxembourgish Cup quarter-final against fourth-tier Minerva Lintgen soon. But the club are fast approaching a turning point.

Their current squad is still top-half by BGL Ligue standards, and by committing to further signings in the winter, they are clearly making steps towards risking it all for a place on the podium, and the windfall that comes with it.

These ambitions took a huge dent on Saturday, when the team came out second-best again, this time at home against Niederkorn. After a 2-0 losing position at half-time, a penalty from Yann Mabella provided a glimmer of hope in a comeback, but they ended up conceding a third and suffering yet another defeat.

Niederkorn have now overtaken Racing, who find themselves joint-sixth. They are facing Union Titus Pétange next week, the team whose form has only been topped by leaders Differdange since the restart. After that, it’s third-place Hesperange at home, another tricky fixture before they visit struggling Mondercange.

The next two games can tip the scales in either direction, and it is undoubtedly still not too late to make a late surge for the continental qualifier spots. But this month will certainly be crucial.

Around the pitches

Hostert sorely missed first-choice goalkeeper Dorian Chiotti, who was still on international duty with Mauritius. His deputy Théo Sardou conceded 3 goals in a surprising loss to Bettembourg, who find themselves only one point away from crawling out of the relegation play-off places.

Hesperange keep proving how underrated they are since their financial problems and personnel changes escalated in December. They beat a resilient Rodange team and made their way back to the podium – but UEFA’s investigation is still underway, potentially costing Hesper their European licence for next year.

F91 Dudelange took the lead early on against Fola, resulting in a rather eventless encounter. Tim Flick scored against his former team from a direct free-kick to set the 2-0 scoreline and inflict their ninth consecutive defeat on Fola Esch.

Victoria Rosport have made it five draws in a row, this time with a 1-1 against 10-man Jeunesse Esch. Both teams found the net in quick succession, in the opening minutes of the second half. This stretches Rosport’s unbeaten streak to six matches in total, and their survival seems all but guaranteed.

Union Titus Pétange won in eye-catching fashion, dismantling Wiltz 0-3 by scoring two goals in added time. UTP’s defence kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in six games, boasting the best defensive metrics after champions-elect Differdange, while Wiltz continue to languish dangerously close to the relegation zone.