F91 storm to top with statement win

It started as a transitional year for Luxembourg's most successful team of the century. A shocking early exit in Europe at the hands of Andorran Atlétic Escaldes showed little hope for Pinto, who had to contend with several of his most important players departing in the summer.

Young arrivals, like Tudor Neamţiu or Marlon N'Guessan, were signed to complement an ageing first-team core, strengthened by the returns of Mehdi Kirch and Charles Morren as the team aimed for a European position at best.

Nine weeks on, the situation has changed drastically. Bissau-Guinean striker Agostinho's quick accommodation to Luxembourgish football keeps firing F91 to new heights, as he now has seven goal contributions (six goals and an assist) to his name in seven starts.

Two young Luxembourg-born midfielders, Enzo Lima and Diogo Monteiro, are settling into their midfield roles superbly in what continues to look like their breakout campaigns at senior level. Ivan Englaro, an anchor of last season's squad, has been imposing as he continues to take on more responsibility from a deep-lying role, to replace 2024's revelation Miguel Gonçalves after the latter's move to Germany.

Kirch's new role as a hybrid centre-back allows for less of the marauding runs and deadly crosses that used to be his trademark moves, but his intelligence and composure stands out within the team. Adapting to his more defensive role proved smooth for the Franco-Algerian, who was instrumental in both Europa League group stage participations in the early 2020s.

Dudelange's latest victims in the BGL Ligue were a youthful Jeunesse Esch, who looked to be on the up until their sudden collapse at Stade Jos Nosbaum. Last Wednesday, they kept title holders Differdange at bay until the last seconds, and have been on an upward trajectory under Reinhold Breu.

None of the above was visible on Sunday. The Old Lady fell behind early on, and had to abandon their cautious initial game plan in their chase for an equaliser. They failed to score in the first half, and collapsed miserably after the teams returned for the second period.

Evan Rotundo doubled the advantage after Agostinho's opener, followed by another two goals in the following nine minutes, as Kino Delorge and Bilal Benkhedim both found the net. Pinto could afford to rotate in the last half-hour, giving out chances to fringe players as his team held on to the clean sheet and kept the four-goal difference intact.

This means that, while FC Differdange have two goals in hand and can yet overtake the leaders with two wins, F91 are the ones having the upper hand for the meantime. Breu's work is still cut out at Jeunesse, where the majority of his starting line-up still has to adjust to the requirements of playing against seasoned veterans for the first time in their careers.

Can Pétange escape the rut?

Union Titus Pétange is another example of a club in the midst of an adaptation period. After the turmoil in the summer (dressing room issues, a premature firing of the new manager and financial difficulties), investor Ado Kojo took the reins himself for the first games of 2025/26.

It took until the ninth matchday to claim his first victory, as his crew stumbled past another team in the relegation zone, Racing Union Luxembourg.

Both teams emerged as surprise relegation contenders after disappointing starts despite boasting elite squads and infrastructure. Ado Kojo's tactics haven't quite clicked in his first-ever senior coaching role so far, but the three points collected on Sunday are enough to lift the Lions off rock bottom, as they overtook newly-promoted UN Käerjéng.

Dominik Stolz tried to save Racing from yet another disgrace in their continued slump, but the talismanic German was not enough for his team's success this time. Gustavo equalled out Stolz's equaliser before the hour mark and Pétange never looked back for the remainder of the game.

A clear second-half dominance seemed to be failing to yield victory for the hosts, who spurned several key chances until the eventual breakthrough was reached in the 74th minute, when substitute Yannick Schaus (having replaced Gustavo at half-time) exploited a mistake from Romain Ruffier in the 74th minute, snatching a win against his former employers.

UTP are far from safe, and their showings have generally been subpar all year. Most of the players are still settling in the area, and Kojo's preferred XI still isn't undoubtedly clear. However, Sunday could be a turning point for the southern side, who, for the first time all season, aren't the biggest crisis club of the country.

Racing's fall from grace after an impressive 2024/25 and a string of eye-catching signings to bolster the squad for the UEFA Conference League was meant to provide the ideal backdrop to a title challenge, and realistic podium ambitions for Yannick Kakoko's men. In contrast, their high-octane kamikaze attacking style have proved a disastrous change from last year's more pragmatic approach.

Unlike Pétange, RFCUL do not have to worry about relegation. The sheer strength and experience in their team will spare them from worrying about the drop for too long. In other words, they are too big to fail. But one has to wonder just how much time they have before they need to kick on and start getting wins on a steady basis to achieve the top-four finish required for Europe.

Khalid Abi Ramzi – destined for greatness?

From all four promoted clubs this season, Atert Bissen were expected to be the most successful, steering clear of the relegation dogfight. Jeunesse Canach's formidable start challenges that narrative by now, but Bissen still managed to turn heads in their opening fixtures.

One of the protagonists in Vítor Pereira's teams rapidfire success especially stands out. Household names like Daniel da Mota or Fine Bop, or established professionals such as Roman Ferber or Sami El Anabi were tipped to prosper in the BGL Ligue, but another name pops up in that conversation following the first two months: Khalid Abi Ramzi.

The Spanish-Moroccan midfielder burst onto the scene after joining Atert from then-third-division Lorentzweiler in 2024. In his first season at Klengbousbierg, he chipped in with four goals and two assists in 27 appearances, growing into his box-to-box role in midfield as the season progressed.

One of the breakthroughs of his career has been Pereira's arrival at the helm. The former Strassen manager realised Abi Ramzi's attacking talent and pushed the midfielder higher up the pitch to help him unlock his creative potential. The results are palpable: with six goals and two assists, he is now joint-top of the scoring charts, and the only non-attacker in the top ten.

This season is promising to be Abi Ramzi's personal best, despite the fact it is the highest level he has ever played at in his career. The 24-year-old former Morocco youth international thrived in the lower divisions of Luxembourg after leaving Spain in 2022, but it still took three years for him to make the step up to the BGL Ligue. At this rate of development, it will be a significantly shorter span until his next move.

His latest goal against Progrès Niederkorn in a 1-1 draw follows a crucial brace against Strassen in late September, adding an assist to almost single-handedly win the game for the Yellows.

Whether his future lies in the Grand Duchy remains a question. There are several clubs in the division that could provide the next adventure for Abi Ramzi. Breaking into a team fighting for Europe represents a different scale of challenge than anything he has experienced so far, and could be helpful for his long-term future. Sooner or later, though, he seems destined to be a professional.

Until then, let's watch and admire the diminutive midfield magician, who has prospered at every milestone in his short career to date.

Around the pitches

Swift Hesperange ended Canach's admirable recent run with a one-goal victory at home. Luxembourg youth international Emre Erkus became the first player to score on Valentin Roulez after 305 minutes. The defender scored his first Hesper goal since leaving Kaiserslautern's academy in the summer, helping his team break into the top five at Mondorf’s expense.

Victoria Rosport's early-season overachievement is being neatly balanced out by unlucky losses as they fell narrowly short once again. It was Rodange 91 who got the better of them this time around, with Dinan Amiri's goal tipping the scales. Rosport attacked consistently after a lacklustre first half, but squandered all of their chances, but retained their top-half status. Rodange, meanwhile, are out of the relegation play-off spots for now.

Ten-man Käerjéng battled back from two goals down to muster a point at home against US Hostert. Kévin Rodrigues and Sinan Altun combined to create USH's lead on the brink of half-time, before conceding twice to UNK's talismanic striker Idir Boutrif. Despite the draw, Käerjéng now find themselves bottom of the table, while Hostert, unlucky not to win, stay in the bottom half.

UNA Strassen recorded two wins in four days by defeating nearby Mamer 32 at a fairly one-sided game lacking any real twists. Nicolas Perez found the net in the 25th minute, before Matheus finished the job in the final stages. Last season's Ehrenpromotion champions are the most out-of-form team in BGL Ligue with one point in the last five games. As a result, they are back in the bottom four, while UNA are keeping their title hopes alive.

There were no questions about the outcome in Mondorf-les-Bains either, where last season's double-winners Differdange swept through the Angry Goats, thanks in part to a spectacular direct free-kick goal from Ludovic Rauch. Big-name signing Edgar Pacheco also scored his first goal in Luxembourg after a drawn-out recovery from a long-term injury.