Sligo Rovers newcomer Lukas Browning became an instant hit after firing a 95th minute equaliser to deny Shamrock Rovers.
Graham Burke had put the Hoops on the front foot with a first-half, arrowed goal and the champions appeared to be starting the season as they mean to go on.
But after Roberto Lopes saw red for raising his hands to Kailin Barlow, the Bit O’Red threw the kitchen sink at their rivals for the closing 25 minutes.
That manic finish was certainly desperate and the Hoops must have thought they had done enough to see it out.
Alan Mannus denied Will Fitzgerald and Dan Cleary, Neil Farrugia and Gary O’Neill all put their bodies on the line to block shots.
But just as it looked like it wouldn’t go their way, Browning chested down a poor Darragh Nugent clearance and volleyed home from the edge of the box.
The ball was lost in a sea of bodies, but the Showgrounds erupted when the realisation hit home that the Swedish recruit had scrambled a point.
Shamrock Rovers had not been unduly concerned about the hosts' bright start and didn’t panic as Max Mata fired off two early shots.
First, the New Zealand international found the side netting from close range after reading Barlow’s clever flick through.
And then he drew a save from Mannus, although the shot was always veering off course.
Mannus also got a good hand to Fitzgerald’s on-target drive from outside the box and saved the subsequent Frank Liivak follow-up with his face.
But that was the height of Sligo’s attacking intent during that opening half as the Hoops kicked on having weathered the storm.
They hadn’t worked Luke McNicholas to the same extent and some of their passing was wayward, but Farrugia was a handful on the right.
But Burke applied the early finish when Trevor Clarke set him on his way with a ball into space after 17 minutes.
And that space only got bigger and bigger as the Sligo defenders backed off and backed off until it was too late.
On an angled and purposeful run towards the box, Burke pulled the trigger from 20-yards and his low, vicious drive arrowed past McNicholas and into the corner.
And Clarke could have doubled that lead eight minutes later but after cutting in from the left his shot was always climbing and fizzed narrowly over.
The introduction of Johnny Kenny, once a favourite around these parts but now a Hoop, generated a stir after the hour.
And so too did the red card shown to Lopes who put a hand on Barlow’s forehead and pushed him away after a harmless initial exchange between the pair.
By now, the home fans were singing about their only being ‘one Rovers’ - but their namesakes still had the advantage where it mattered.
But it wouldn’t stay that way as the pendulum swung their way.
The sheer number of Sligo attacks in the closing 10 minutes was impressive, but the Hoops appeared to be keeping them at bay.
Until, that was, Browning stepped up to apply a gorgeous finish to a goal worthy of winning a game - but they will settle for the point.
SLIGO ROVERS: McNicholas; Brannefalk, Clancy, Pijnaker, Hutchinson (O’Sullivan 90); Bolger (Radosavljevic 75), Browning; Liivak (Hartmann 60), Barlow (Lafferty 90), Fitzgerald; Mata
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Farrugia, Poom, Watts (O’Neill 79), Clarke; (Nugent 64) Byrne (Towell 79), Burke (Burt 64); Gaffney (Kenny 64)
Referee: Damien MacGraith
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