Metz missed the opportunity to climb off the bottom of Ligue 1 following a cagey goalless draw with Caen.

A pattern quickly emerged in the early stages of the game as Caen dominated possession, but creating chances did not come easily for a side that started the night just five points clear of the relegation zone.

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However, the best chance of a largely uneventful first half did fall to the hosts when Emiliano Sala created space for himself in the box before forcing Anthony Mfa Mezui into a low save.

Caen dominated the exchanges either side of the interval, and were only denied a goal by Sylvain Marchal's last-ditch tackle on Herve Bazile.

Metz eventually started to offer an attacking threat after the hour mark, with Bouna Sarr just missing the target with a speculative effort from 25 yards.

Despite the improvement from the visitors, neither side could find a way to pile the pressure on in the closing stages and things ended in a stalemate.