Credit: BGL Ligue

On Saturday 15 February 2025, the central fixture of matchday 17 saw second-placed F91 Dudelange host current champions FC Differdange 03, who lead Luxembourg's top-flight men’s football championship, the BGL Ligue.

Ahead of the match, both teams approached the game with commanding victories in the first round after the winter break. Differdange triumphed at home 4:0 against Fola, while Dudelange secured a 3:0 away win over Victoria Rosport. However, the hosts were trailing by seven points in the standings. The much-anticipated encounter between the two sides did not deliver an abundance of goals, though the first dangerous moment did occur near the visitors' goal. Despite this, it was Differdange who took the lead. A free kick from Guillaume Trani created problems for Dudelange’s defence and André Mendy seized the opportunity to send the ball into the back of the net. The first half ended with a 1:0 advantage for Differdange.

In the second half, both teams had opportunities to please their supporters with a goal. However, in the 68th minute, Mehdi Kirch received a second yellow card for a foul on Leandro Borges, leaving the hosts with only ten men. Despite this, Dudelange still had a chance to equalise in the dying moments. Samir Hadji had a golden opportunity but his header narrowly missed the target.

Thus, Differdange secured a 1:0 victory, extending their lead to ten points ahead of second place. It is worth noting that Dudelange have failed to win against Differdange in their last five encounters - four losses and one draw.

Other matchday 17 fixtures took place on Sunday 16 February 2025, with one notable result being Racing Luxembourg’s second consecutive defeat, having started the second half of the season in third place. Yannick Kakoko’s team, like the previous week, lost 0:1, this time to Hostert, who currently sit in 11th place in the standings.

This setback for Racing allowed Swift Hesperange (34 points), who drew 0:0 at home against Mondercange, to solidify their position in the top three, overtaking Racing by one point (33 points).

Una Strassen and Progrès Niederkorn also closed the gap, with both teams securing victories and now sitting on 32 points, occupying fifth and sixth places respectively.

Matchday 17 results:

F91 Dudelange - FC Differdange 03 0:1
CS Fola Esch-Alzette - FC Rodange 91 1:5
Swift Hesperange - FC Mondercange 0:0
US Mondorf-les-Bains - Victoria Rosport 2:3
US Hostert - Racing FC Union Luxembourg 1:0
Progrès Niederkorn - SC Bettembourg 1:0
Una Strassen - FC Wiltz 71 3:0
Union Titus Pétange - AS La Jeunesse d'Esch/Alzette 0:0

Matchday 18 of the BGL Ligue will take place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February 2025.

IK