Rennes and Saint-Etienne have played out a 0-0 draw in Sunday afternoon's Ligue 1 clash at the Stade de la Route-de-Lorient.

Following a slow start, the game sprung into action around the 12th minute when Yohan Mollo's cross fell to Mevlut Erding, who sent a header just wide of the post.

Moments later, the hosts countered in similar fashion through Pedro Henrique, who got his head onto a Steven Moreira cross but also sent his effort off target.

The game then went through the motions once again as a series of fouls and tackles repeatedly broke up play, goalmouth action not resuming until towards the end of the first half when Mollo and Abdoulaye Doucoure had chances for their respective teams.

Entertainment continued to be at a premium in the second period, with the first chance not coming until just after the hour, a skied effort by Doucoure.

Ola Toivonen then forced a save from Stephane Ruffier moments later, while Kevin Theophile-Catherine missed with a header midway through the first half.

Ultimately, neither side had enough cohesion and incisiveness to find a goal, so both teams had to settle with a point apiece from a game that saw two efforts on target all game.

The result means that Saint-Etienne remain fourth in the Ligue 1 table and in the hunt for a European berth, while Rennes sit ninth.