Luxembourg's flops humbled by Belarus in Nations League C must-win game

By Alessandro Schiavone in Luxembourg

Whisper it quietly but Europe’s former laughing stock Luxembourg…are rolling back the years. Ranking 84th in the FIFA, they managed to lose the most winnable of games against Belarus 1-0 on home soil. After years of marked improvements and a constant upward trajectory which comprised shock draws at Italy, France and Turkey they look like staring down the barrel of a return to the levels of yesteryear. The country also registered wins over Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iceland and Montenegro. Encouraging performances coupled with improving results had the baby nation dreaming of going from D to C listers. Yet today’s 1-0 home defeat to Belarus confirmed many people’s suspicions that they are heading back to square one after also succumbing to a 2-0 loss in Northern Ireland a couple of days ago.

Experts may now be queuing up to berate Luc Holtz and his flops but let’s not forget that only six months ago the tiny country was dreaming of a first-ever participation at a major tournament before Georgia put paid to those hopes in the play-offs.

Today Valeri Gromyko’s 76th-munute curler did the job for Carlos Alos’s battling Belarus. 

Star man Gerson Rodrigues was absent for the hosts and how it showed. But if anything the maverick’s void should have put the onus on others to shine. Yet nobody turned up. A soft touch at the back, Luxembourg were non-existent in the final third.

Maxime Chanot who is a teammate of former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and ex-Arsenal and Chelsea hitman Olivier Giroud at Los Angeles FC didn’t cover himself in glory when he was robbed off the ball by substitute German Barkowsky. But all things considered he was surrounded by complete duds, which didn't help.

Prior to that, it was “boredom, we’ve got you covered” in this Nations League B fixture stinker.

By the year 2038, if man is still alive, we may finally witness the advent of Luxembourg qualifying for a World Cup or Euros.

But for that to happen, the Luxembourgish model of scouting, recruiting and development has some serious strides to make.

Because both the current players, and those coming through don't seem to have what it takes to take this country forward.

The wheels are undeniably coming off this once proud nation.