Caen have held on for a goalless draw with Angers in Ligue 1, despite playing almost an hour of the match a man short.
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Both sides had chances to open the scoring inside the first 15 minutes as Billy Ketkeophomphone blasted the ball towards the Caen goal from 20 yards out, only to see Remi Vercoutre make the save, while Andy Delort had his low finish blocked.
Caen started to enjoy the majority of the possession as the opening period progressed, with Julien Feret and Ronny Rodelin both asking questions of the Angers defenders, but they were unable to break the deadlock.
The home side's hopes were dealt a blow with just over half an hour gone though as Alaeddine Yahia clashed with Ketkeophomphone out wide, earning himself a straight red for the challenge.
Thomas Mangani delivered the resulting free kick, which Cheikh Ndoye attempted to flick into the top corner, but it was a comfortable save for the keeper.
Angers came close to opening the scoring early in the second half as Ndoye squared the ball to Mangani on the edge of the penalty area, but his left-footed strike was kept out of the top corner.
Despite being a man short, Caen continued to see plenty of the ball, but struggled to create many clear-cut chances, settling instead for efforts from long range, which were comfortably dealt with by the visitors.
Angers were still pushing for a winner in the final 15 minutes, but Mangani was denied by the woodwork after a run from Vincent Manceau set him up for another powerful shot from 20 yards out.
Ketkeophomphone continued to cause problems late on as Angers made a move again, while Ndoye headed over from a Capelle cross from close range in the final moments, but Caen had numbers back to ensure they held on for the point.
The result moves Caen up to third in the table, while Angers climb up to fifth as a result of the draw.
Sian Cowper
