Ten men Rennes salvaged a point at local rivals Guingamp in the first derby between the two this season at the Stade de Roudourou.
A strong opening half by the hosts was rewarded before the break when Moustapha Diallo netted from a yard out.
In need of a stronger second period, Rennes started ideally by scoring right after the restart through Yoann Gourcuff's curler from outside the box.
The game was tarred with expected derby controversy when Sanjin Prcic was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
Strong Guingamp deservedly in front
The hosts came flying out the traps from kick-off, putting Rennes under pressure whenever they had possession.
The first chance fell after a minute when Lucas Deaux snapped at a shot which went by the post.
The derby fever appeared to have gotten to midfielder Prcic who was committing fouls consistently in the early stages.
Guingamp had the ball in the net only for the referee to chop it off following an offside in the build-up.
The home side took the deserved lead after 39 minutes when a cross deep into the box was nodded in by Diallo.
Two minutes into added time, Prcic committed his last foul of the match in the eyes referee Tony Chapron, who subsequently gave the Bosnian his marching orders.
Snatch and grab draw by Rennes
Goal scorer Diallo was replaced at half-time by Alexandre Mendy - it is unknown if this was for tactical reasons.
Rennes went all in from kick-off, fearing the worst, in a bid to try and regain somewhat of a foothold in the match.
The goal they desired came after only a minute when a jinking move outside of the box by Gourcuff ended in the attacker swinging a shot past Karl-Johan Johnsson.
At the other end, an almost instant response was almost found by Mendy, only to be denied by the quick reactions of Benoit Costil.
Kamil Grosicki was unfortunate in his bid to give Rennes the lead, firstly shooting wide, and then forcing Johnsson into making a strong catch.
The final chance of the match was the closest of all and it fell to Deaux, whose header at the back post was inches away from hitting the top-right corner of the net.
This derby will be seen as two points dropped for Antoine Kombouare's men who sit in a surprising spot in the upper reaches of the Ligue 1 table.
Whereas for Rennes, it will be seen as a point salvaged in a match they could easily have lost, especially after their first half performance.
The derby fever doesn't leave Brittany just yet as the big one - Rennes - Nantes - takes place at Roazhon Park next Saturday, whereas Guingamp travel to high-flyers Nice.