Saint-Etienne and Nice played out a drab 0-0 draw at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in the first leg of their Ligue 1 relegation play-off. 

Neither side was able to muster up a single shot on target throughout the entirety of the encounter, leaving things in the balance ahead of the second leg at Allianz Riviera. 

A cagey opening period failed to burst into life, with Jonathan Clauss' free-kick sailing over before Juma Bah's shot failed to test Saint-Etienne captain Gautier Larsonneur. 

Luan Gadegbeku then tangled with Kojo Peprah Oppong just outside the box, but referee Benoit Bastien was sent to the monitor for a potential penalty check, but he stuck with his original decision of a free-kick for the hosts.

The game followed a similar pattern in the second half, with Zuriko Davitashvili brilliantly cutting inside from the left side and bending his effort narrowly wide of the right post. 

Augustine Boakye then saw his volley land on top of the net before Maxime Bernauer also tried his luck from distance, but both teams were unable to find a decisive winner.