Northern Ireland v Luxembuourg (05/09/2024)

DOMESTIC

• Three players have earned more than 100 caps for Luxembourg, including the current right-back Laurent Jans, who reached a century in a 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Liechtenstein in November 2023 and now sits on 102. • Mario Mutsch earned 102 caps in a career which began in 2005 and ended in 2019, while Daniel da Mota earned his 101st and last cap against Scotland in 2021. • Gerson Rodrigues, 29, is the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 21 in 63 appearances, having overtaken the previous best of 16 set by Leon Mart in 24 caps either side of the Second World War. • Three Luxembourg players have picked up votes for the Ballon d’Or over the years. Louis Pilot earned one fourth-place vote in 1967 after helping Standard Liege to the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup. Robby Langers followed with a fifth-place vote in 1989 while playing for Nice. Guy Hellers was also on the shortlist two years later after reaching the last eight of the Cup Winners’ Cup, also with Standard.

• Luxembourg’s top flight, the BGL Ligue, was founded in 1910 and has gradually expanded over the years, growing to 16 teams for the 2020-21 campaign. • Differdange 03 are the reigning champions after taking their first title last term. The club was formed in 2003 following a merger of six-time champions FA Red Boys Differdange and AS Differdange. • Jeunesse Esch, based in the country’s second largest city of Esch-sur-Alzette, are the most successful team in the league’s history with 28 titles, however the last of them came in 2010, and they have not finished in the top two since 2013. • F91 Dudelange have emerged as the dominant force in recent seasons, winning the title 16 times since being formed in 1991 as a merger of Alliance Dudelange, Stade Dudelange and US Dudelange. They reached the group stages of the Europa League in 2019.

PHOTO : SPORTSPRESS.LU

IRISHFA.COM

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