Patrick Kisnorbo has got his French coaching career off to a positive start, taking a point in his opening match with Ligue Un side ES Troyes AC.
Former Melbourne City mentor Kisnorbo on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) became the first Australian to work as a head coach in any of the 'big five' European soccer leagues, leading his side out against Nantes as France's top flight returned after the World Cup break.
Troyes recorded their first clean sheet of the season to battle out a 0-0 draw which leaves them 13th in the table.
The day could have gone even better for Kisnorbo, with his new side twice hitting the woodwork - through Andreas Bruus and Xavier Chavalerin - but they were unable to break the deadlock.
"It's a good thing to get a clean sheet today and I saw some very good attitudes on the pitch," Kisnorbo said.
"Ligue Un is an excellent league, with some high quality players, so I am happy to be part of this adventure.
"We had opportunities, but sometimes it doesn't work out. That's how it goes.
"We still have work to do, but the team is on the right track."
Elsewhere, 17-year-old Eliesse Ben Seghir came off the bench to score twice on his league debut and help Monaco to a 3-2 win at Auxerre.
The youngster drew comparisons with former Monaco favourite Kylian Mbappe as he struck twice from his position on the left flank, the second a spectacular solo effort five minutes from time to clinch the win.
It was Mbappe himself grabbing the plaudits for Paris St Germain, the French superstar netting a 96th-minute penalty as his side squeaked to a 2-1 win at home to Strasbourg.
Marquinhos had opened the scoring for PSG in the first half, before scoring an own goal to level the scores after 51 minutes.
PSG's task was made harder when Neymar was sent off with half-an-hour remaining, after picking up two yellow cards inside a minute.
The Brazilian's first booking came after catching Strasbourg midfielder Adrien Thomasson in the face with his hand. A second followed moments later for diving in the penalty area.
It was Neymar's fifth red card since joining PSG in 2017, and he will be suspended for Sunday's game at second-place Lens.
Corsican club Ajaccio moved away from the relegation zone with a 1-0 home victory against last-place Angers, while Lille moved up to sixth with a 2-0 win at Clermont Foot and Lyon won 4-2 at relegation-threatened Brest.
- with AP
