Unbeaten runs and early struggles mark dramatic start to Luxembourg season

F91 Dudelange remain the only team in the league to start with four wins this season (Differdange can still join them, with three games in hand). They have been far from the most dominant team on the pitch, but their deep squad and mental resilience continue to help them turn the tide in critical moments.

Their latest opponents were last season’s Ehrenpromotion champions Mamer 32, who quickly went ahead through a penalty converted by Léo Montout. Mamer have had a rocky start to the campaign and their ambitions to be the first to beat F91 this season never seemed too feasible, but they managed to keep their narrow advantage going into half-time.

Shortly afterwards, though, F91’s control of the game paid off and materialised in two quick goals: Bilal Benkhedim found the net twice in three minutes to turn the game on its head. The attacker has been the division’s standout star this season, with five goals and two assists in just 300 minutes of play.

Dudelange are finding form and confidence in just the right time ahead of a top-end clash against Racing Luxembourg, who have visibly struggled to hit the ground running in the league. Another win there, and F91 fans might already move on from last season’s disappointment at back-to-back defeats against Andorran Atlétic Escaldes in the Conference League.

A title challenge is too early to suggest at this stage, and the team’s preparations for the season were far from straightforward. But a return to Europe, and another few impressive victories early on, and F91 will have exceeded all their expectations for 2025/26.

Grym finds rhythm for Strassen

UNA Strassen had an impressive European campaign, matching their professional opponents Dundee United over 180 minutes, conceding only once in each game and creating numerous chances in both games.

Based on those displays, the squad seemed ready to take on Luxembourg and become genuine title contenders in an instant. These hopes were further bolstered by the arrival of Riccardo Grym.

The Polish-German deep-lying playmaker is a graduate of Leverkusen’s academy, having also played for Mönchengladbach’s youth teams before racking up years of experience in Germany’s lower leagues.

Still only 26, he is regarded as one of the team’s most valuable assets, and the first-choice replacement in case Diogo Pimentel departs the club in the near future.

Grym took time to adapt to his new surroundings and get into shape for the season, but he was afforded a chance off the bench in each of the first three outings, scoring a late goal in Rosport last week.

This time, he was awarded a place in the starting XI for the first time in his Strassen career, and put in a man-of-the-match-worthy performance, assisting Matheus for his team’s second goal before scoring one himself in stoppage time as Strassen beat Union Titus Pétange 3-0.

Strassen’s squad has already been stacked with talent, and manager Stefano Bensi knows how to rotate his lineups perfectly to keep everyone fit and satisfied. Grym’s impact just adds another weapon to an already impressive arsenal. UNA have never had a bigger chance to win their first top-flight league title in their history.

Racing stuck in reverse

The most disappointing campaign so far – not even four full matchdays in – belongs to Racing Luxembourg, who occupy one of the relegation play-off spots with two draws and a loss.

The latest matchday yielded one point for RFCUL, against a young Jeunesse Esch side in transition after overhauls on the pitch and at boardroom level. Miloš Todorović found the Sky Blues’ net after only two minutes, and while Dominik Stolz was quick to equalise, the merger team didn’t muster a chance to power through and collect all three points.

This marks the fifth winless game in a row for Yannick Kakoko’s men, whose elimination at the hands of Georgian Dila Gori in Europe was followed by a 1-1 draw in Rodange and a surprise loss against newly-promoted Jeunesse Canach two weeks ago.

Racing had a day off last week, as their opponents Differdange requested the game to be postponed in order to travel to Estonia for a Conference League qualifier. Right now, it looks like a little delay doesn’t hurt either side.

Despite an encouraging summer transfer window for the club from the City, they have a lot to sort out about a team potentially slightly demotivated after their early exit from Europe. Their last game before the season’s first international break will be against leaders Dudelange, who are far from unbeatable but seem to be riding the wave RFCUL desperately want to get on.

If Stolz keeps firing for the season, sustaining his status as a game-changer at the age of 35, he can be effective next week against his former team – and throughout the season, too. But if performances dip, confidence will wane, and in a more competitive top-half race than last year, Racing can easily find themselves having to play catch-up.

Around the pitches

Hostert extended their unbeaten streak to three games, with a win at home against newcomers Canach. Diogo Fernandes’ goal and assist were enough to gain him a place in L’Équipe’s weekly dream team of Frenchmen playing abroad, while Hostert continue their ascent on the table, climbing into the top 5. Jeunesse Canach remains safe despite a leaky defence, sitting 11th.

Victoria Rosport continue to provide the feel-good story of the competition, jumping to second place behind Dudelange with a win against Niederkorn. Martin Forkel’s men defended with all their might, and are still unbeaten after the fourth matchday. Progrès dominated the second half, but found no space in a disciplined low block from the guests, and failed to get past goalkeeper Niklas Bürger.

Swift Hesperange surprised everyone with their summer transfers after their embargo was scrapped on 14 July, leaving them less than a month to assemble the squad. They succeeded and started the season with all guns blazing. Their latest 3-0 win against Käerjéng fired them all the way to the podium, while their opponents are bottom of the table, still winless.

Mondorf are slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Despite limping to two narrow defeats in the first matchdays, they are picking up form and have kept two consecutive clean sheets. They left no one in doubt about their ability to manage must-win games as they tallied up their second consecutive 2-0 victory, this time against Atert Bissen, who are still waiting for their first-ever BGL Ligue win four games in.

FC Differdange have now postponed three games in a row as their match against Rodange would have been too close to prepare for their final Conference League qualifier. They are trailing Kosovar Drita 2-1 on aggregate. Given their own fair share of injuries, Rodange agreed to play the game on a later date. FCD are looking at quite a strenuous schedule ahead of them in the league, even without securing European qualification (which comes with an extra six matches on top).