Vahid Halilhodzic said Nantes' 1-1 draw with Saint-Etienne was the hardest match of his career after the Ligue 1 club paid emotional tributes to their missing former player Emiliano Sala.
On Wednesday, Nantes played their first match since Sala went missing onboard a private jet on January 21 having completed a transfer to Cardiff City days before.
After hearing of Sala's disappearance, Nantes pushed back their match with Saint-Etienne and arranged for numerous marks of respect for the striker.
Players took to the pitch in shirts bearing Sala's name, there was a cover showing his face in the centre circle and the match was stopped in the ninth minute for applause.
"This is probably the toughest game I had to prepare," he told reporters. "My team showed a great attitude ... the reaction after the opener...I told my players 'I am very proud of you'.
pic.twitter.com/FJci4wZ4IU— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) January 30, 2019
"After a difficult start, we then controlled the game, we had a few chances, which is why I said that my players were exceptional in such a context. I told them that we will win the other matches with such an attitude, it is really a reaction of pride.
"We will never forget Emiliano, he is an exceptional boy. I hope the boys will smile again.
"I want to congratulate the fans and the players for the dignity of this evening."
Midfielder Valentin Rongier echoed his coach's comments, saying: "It was an evening with a lot of feelings but we tried to give our best. I think we achieved that.
"It was very hard, especially at the beginning when we came onto the pitch. It took time for us to focus."
Meanwhile, Abdoulaye Toure added: "We knew there would be a lot of emotion. That's why we needed to play good because he [Sala] gave us so much for many years."
