Updated

Corinne Diacre (dee-OCK) became the first woman to coach a men's professional soccer team in a competitive match in France when her Clermont team lost 2-1 Monday at Brest in the second division.

Diacre's managerial stint in men's soccer got off to a perfect start when Souleymane Sawadogo finished off a counterattack in the ninth minute, prompting only a small smile from his coach in celebration. But Bruno Grougi converted a second-half penalty for Brest in the second half , and Alexandre Alphonse later scored the winner for the home side.

Diacre says "it's never nice to lose, that's obvious," but that "Brest played well."