Seven National Division matches were held in Luxembourg over the weekend, as Mamer will face Differdange at a later date, thanks to the title holders’ European obligations in Estonia this week.

The biggest surprise – and arguably the most entertaining game – came from Swift Hesperange, whose influx of new signings have adapted to Luxembourg football far quicker than anyone anticipated, hitting the ground running with four points from their opening two matches.

After a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Union Titus Pétange, Hakim Menai’s side faced a sterner test on matchday two against last season’s runners-up, UNA Strassen. This time, they displayed exceptional individual quality, coupled with a hunger and commitment not seen from a Swift Hesperange team in years.

Swift did well to weather the storm in a turbulent first half, conceding a penalty and three yellow cards, before adapting perfectly to their opponents’ tempo and forcing their way back into the contest. Although Hélias Belliard’s equaliser was swiftly cancelled out by Nicolas Perez, the floodgates opened in the final 20 minutes, with the hosts netting three times in quick succession to secure an important early-season victory.

Francisco Ninte Júnior broke his BGL Ligue duck after goalless spells at both F91 Dudelange and Racing FCUL, before Hereba Savane’s spectacular top-corner strike put Swift ahead. The finishing touch came from young midfielder Yanis Bouazzati, who dispossessed Strassen captain Denis Agović inside his own box and calmly slotted home his first goal of the campaign.

Strassen’s woes deepened after the final whistle with the news that striker Zachary Hadji is departing for the professional ranks, having signed for Bahraini top-flight side Al Najma. The former Luxembourg Golden Boot winner had returned last year in a bid to revive his career after a stint in Switzerland and now appears set for a fresh chapter abroad.

Deville brings instant impact

Looking at the four newly-promoted clubs’ respective recruitment strategies and the profile of their signings so far, it’s Atert Bissen’s summer activity that jumps off the page. Many teams take up the “revolving door” strategy upon promotion, and Atert’s glut of new arrivals ensured that a whole new starting XI, most of them upgrades on the playoff-winning group of 2024/25, would be ready to fight for the team’s survival chances in their first top-flight season in history.

Whereas, Jeunesse Canach only strengthened where it was required. They made fewer signings but marquee ones were announced, headlined by former Luxembourg international and professional attacker Maurice Deville.
 
It was always going to be a last dance for the target forward who spent years of his career in the German lower divisions before returning home, to a team where he can still make the difference in a season-long fight against the drop.
 
So far, his effect has been tremendous. Deville is leading the league’s scoring charts after two games, with three goals and an assist. Canach’s opening-day defeat against Mamer 32 was followed by a brilliant display and much-improved defensive organisation in the capital, where they beat Racing FCUL 3-1, thanks to a pair of late goals to seal the win.
 
Deville and his teammates still have a lot of work to do. They were widely predicted to go down without giving up much of a fight when they got promoted, and while the summer transfer window has altered the odds since then, they are still outsiders.
 
Every point will matter for Jeunesse Canach this year. And with the defensive structure still looking somewhat vulnerable and light in depth, the onus is on the attack to compensate for any shortcomings at the back, and keep Canach’s head above water. With a prolific scorer in Deville’s mould, they might manage to pull it off.

FC Differdange travel to Estonia, Mamer game to be rescheduled

It is far from common practice for BGL Ligue teams to cancel or rearrange domestic league games due to their European commitments in the early stages of international competitions.
 
However, it is what unfolded last weekend, when FC Differdange visit to Mamer was pushed to a later date, as last season’s champions travel to Estonia to keep their Conference League hopes alive.
 
FCD played Levadia Tallinn at home last week, recording a narrow 2-3 loss, and an aggregate defeat would mean elimination from Europe altogether. A win on the other hand would edge them closer to the Conference League – where simply taking part is worth far more than any trophy in Luxembourg.

With the all-or-nothing match coming on Thursday, Differdange will likely make the trip a day or two in advance, to minimise the added difficulty of playing away from home in a different timezone, under pressure to overturn the deficit from the first leg.
 
If FCD advance, they will reach the final play-off round before the league phase of the competition – their best run since 2011, when they fell at the last hurdle of Europa League qualification to Paris Saint-Germain. The last Luxembourgish side to reach a group stage was F91 Dudelange in 2019/20, who famously made it in the same competition and collected four points from six matches.

Around the pitches

US Hostert are still struggling to find their rhythm, with a dull 0-0 draw against Rodange, not making up for their humiliating 4-1 defeat to Rosport last week. Replacing Kenan Avdusinović will be an arduous task for the Greens who have seemingly not found an ideal successor just yet. Rodange, meanwhile, have stabilised their defence and could be satisfied with their return of two points from the opening two games.
 
F91 Dudelange are the only six-point team in the division after another chaotic comeback win against newly-promoted UN Käerjéng. Two attacking recruits from Portugal, Dinho and Agostinho, combined for three goals with the latter scoring all three, to turn the tide in the second half after falling behind twice. UNK can count themselves unlucky not to have capitalised on an impressive draw against Jeunesse Esch the previous week.

Progrès Niederkorn eked out a narrow win against an unlucky US Mondorf side in a dull affair between the two sides, the Angry Goats came close to levelling in the final stages of the match through substitute Jean-Paul Kumbi who struck the upper side of the bar with the goalkeeper left stranded. Niederkorn's centre-back Vincent Peugnet scored the only goal of the game to make Wasps’ posessional dominance count. 
 
Pepe Pereira Mendes scored on his Union Titus Pétange debut after arriving from Hertha Berlin’s reserves, to take the lead against Victoria Rosport on Sunday. A late equaliser from Mikail Arslan evened things out and kept both teams’ unbeaten run going, but Martin Forkel’s Rosport side can feel slightly disappointed not to have made more of this encounter against a struggling opponent very much in the midst of their transformation for the season.
 
Atert Bissen claimed their first-ever point in the BGL Ligue with a home draw against record champions Jeunesse Esch. The Klengbousbierg played host to a festive crowd of 702, there to witness the historic milestone. Jeunesse’s youthful but talented side once again lacked the cutting edge to find a breakthrough, while Bissen goalkeeper Yassine Gourari delivered a composed performance to secure both a goalless draw and the club’s first clean sheet of the year.