FC Differdange 03; Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Sunday 9 February 2025, Luxembourg's top-flight men's football championship, the BGL Ligue, returned to action with the first fixtures following the winter break; matchday 16 saw all eight scheduled encounters take place, marking the beginning of an intense second half of the season.

Сhampions and current BGL Ligue leader, FC Differdange 03, entered the second half of the season with a comfortable seven-point advantage over their nearest challengers. On their return to action, they hosted one of the league's strugglers, Fola from Esch-sur-Alzette, at the Municipal Stadium in front of several hundred supporters. The hosts applied early pressure, creating multiple chances before striker Guillaume Trani finally broke the deadlock in the 17th minute. His effort gave Differdange a deserved 1:0 lead, which remained unchanged at half-time, with the visitors failing to register a single shot on target against Felipe in goal.

The second half saw Differdange continue their attacking dominance and their persistence paid off in the 58th minute when Guillaume Trani struck again. A well-placed pass from Kevin D'Anzico sent Trani through on goal, and, with his second touch, he calmly slotted the ball past the visiting goalkeeper to double the lead at 2:0. Speaking to Chronicle.lu after the match, the two-goal hero reflected: "It was good for the team, for me, for the confidence to start the second part of the season, but we need to keep going more for the games."

Fourteen minutes later, Trani turned provider, assisting substitute Adham El Idrissi, who had entered the game just ten minutes earlier. The 3-0 scoreline was not the final act, as another substitution by coach Antonio Marques also proved effective. Shortly before the final whistle, Andreas Buch found the net in added time, converting his chance in the third minute of stoppage time. After the match, he commented: "It's my second goal of the season. I had a bit of a knee injury, and my first goal was also at the beginning of the season against Fola. I hope I can do a little bit more for the team in the future. And then I hope we will take the championship title for Differdange again."

The match concluded with a commanding 4:0 victory for Differdange, allowing them to maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the table.

Elsewhere, F91 Dudelange solidified their hold on second place with a 3:0 away win over Victoria Rosport. Meanwhile, Racing Luxembourg suffered a 1:0 defeat on the road against FC Wiltz, a result that sees them drop into a tie for third place with Swift Hesperange. Swift, playing at home, secured a convincing 3:0 win over Hostert, bringing them level with Racing on 33 points.

Matchday 16 results:

Swift Hesperange - US Hostert 3:0

FC Wiltz 71 - Racing FC Union Luxembourg 1:0

FC Rodange 91 - Una Strassen 2:2

AS La Jeunesse d'Esch/Alzette - Progrès Niederkorn 3:1

FC Differdange 03 - CS Fola Esch-Alzette 4:0

Victoria Rosport - F91 Dudelange 0:3

SC Bettembourg - US Mondorf-les-Bains 1:2

FC Mondercange - Union Titus Pétange 0:2 

IK