Hamza Sakhi scored the only goal of the game as Auxerre gave new coach Christophe Pelissier a victory to celebrate for his first game in charge with a 1-0 defeat of Ajaccio on Sunday.
THE MATCH
Perhaps it was because there was a new man in the dug-out in place of Jean-Marc Furlan that Auxerre immediately tore into the visitors, who had never managed to win in Burgundy in previous 13 trips across French football's top two divisions.
Encamped in the Ajaccio half, Auxerre created opportunities, first with Mathias Autret (5') and then Sakhi, who fired one effort wide (6') before picking out the top right corner of Benjamin Leroy's goal with his next (8') to earn a career-first Ligue 1 Uber Eats goal.
Winless in their last eight league games, Auxerre clearly saw an opportunity to boost their fortunes against a side that came up with them last season. Sakhi nearly doubled his and his team's tally but Leroy saved brilliantly after Clément Vidal had deflected the Auxerre man's shot (20').
Leroy was then in the right place at the right time to stop Nuno da Costa's drive (26') and he also watched the former Strasbourg forward head over the crossbar (38') with the hosts creating the better chances.
The Corsicans actually dominated possession before the half-time break, but a Bevic Moussiti-Oko header aside (27'), they posed little goal threat as Olivier Pantaloni's men looked like a team that had struck a league-low eight goals in their 12 matches since their top-flight return.
The game could have turned their way shortly after the break when Auxerre's Mbaye Niang was dismissed for a wild challenge on Mohamed Youssouf (56'). But the hosts were only at a numerical disadvantage for six minutes with Cédric Avinel joining the former Rennes and Bordeaux striker for an early bath after an equally ill-advised tackle on Da Costa (62').
Rayan Raveloson (85') tested Leroy while Gauthier Hein very nearly scored with a 30-metre lob only to find the crossbar with a stranded Leroy scrambling back (88') as Auxerre edged out of the bottom four ahead of the remainder of the Round 13 matches.
THE PLAYER: Hamza Sakhi
The former Metz midfielder has spent much of his career outside the top division, but at 26 is finding that he has the class and quality to mix it with the best in French football.
THE STAT: 1
Pelissier is the first Auxerre coach ever to win his debut Ligue 1 Uber Eats game.
