Résidence Walferdange vs RM Hamm Benfica

Walferdange, who had won three of their five previous pre-season friendlies, started brightly and took an early lead at their synthetic-pitch home ground. But FC Luxembourg City responded before half-time with two quick goals in first-half stoppage time. Alioune Diop levelled the scores in the 45th minute, and Jean-Desiré Tibor converted a penalty two minutes into added time to send the visitors into the break 2-1 up.

Tibor struck again six minutes after the restart, scoring his second of the night in the 51st minute to make it 3-1. Walferdange pulled one back to reduce the deficit to 3-2, but FC Luxembourg City added a fourth in the 77th minute to seal the result.

Tibor's penalty deep into first-half stoppage time swung momentum decisively. Walferdange had led and looked competitive until that moment, but conceding two goals in the space of three minutes just before the interval changed the complexion of the match. The home side never recovered the lead and spent the second half chasing the game.

Jean-Desiré Tibor (FC Luxembourg City) — The 32-year-old winger, who joined the club in February 2026 after a six-month break from football (per L'Avenir), scored twice: a coolly taken penalty in first-half stoppage time and a well-taken finish six minutes after the break. His movement and experience told against a Walferdange defence that had been largely solid in pre-season.

Alioune Diop (FC Luxembourg City) — The 22-year-old Senegalese winger scored the equaliser in the 45th minute, sparking the visitors' turnaround. Diop has been one of the revelations of Luxembourg's Promotion d'Honneur since joining the club.

Walferdange's attack — Despite the defeat, Walferdange scored twice and created chances throughout, registering 12 shots (7 on target) and 54% possession. The home side's attacking play has been a feature of their pre-season — they had scored 14 goals across their previous five friendlies.

Walferdange edged possession (54% to 46%) and created more attacks (90 to 82) and dangerous attacks (50 to 38), but FC Luxembourg City were clinically superior in front of goal. The visitors recorded 10 shots on target from 14 attempts — a 71% accuracy rate — compared to Walferdange's 7 from 12 (58%). Both sides had four corners apiece. The xG story is not available for this fixture, but the shot conversion gap tells it: Luxembourg City scored with 29% of their shots; Walferdange with 17%.

This was FC Luxembourg City's fourth pre-season fixture and their first win of the summer, after earlier matches without a victory. The club, rebranded from RM Hamm Benfica to FC Luxembourg City in May 2026, are preparing for the 2026/27 Promotion d'Honneur season. Walferdange continued their pre-season programme with a 0-0 draw against FV Diefflen on 25 July and will look to sharpen their defensive organisation before the competitive season begins.

A deserved win for FC Luxembourg City, who were lethal on the counter and clinical in front of goal. Walferdange will be encouraged by their attacking output but concerned by defensive lapses that allowed four goals — six if counting the 1-6 defeat to FC Mamer 32 earlier in pre-season. Tibor's double suggests the experienced winger could be a key figure for the newly-named club this season.