Ibrahima Toure's unprovoked assault saw Al Nasr frustrated as Spanish coach Luis Garcia began his reign at Bani Yas with a draw.
The Senegal striker was dismissed after snapping on 70 minutes during a previously uneventful Arabian Gulf League opener, drawing blood with a cowardly punch from behind and forcing the felled Mohamed Jaber off.
A game of few chances at Bani Yas Stadium had previously been committed, without any real hints of what was to come.
The agitation had previously been the preserve of Garcia as he attempts to guide last season's ninth-placed finishers in the high-pressing and fast-passing Spanish style.
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The ex-Getafe boss cut a peripatetic figure on the touchline, constantly lecturing his charges on the importance of holding the 4-2-3-1 shape. How successful he is at imparting such knowledge will determine how long he stays at a club which has gone through eight coaches in four years.
Aimless long balls from the back saw him shoot out of the dugout and register his displeasure. Loose possession is anathema.
For opposite number Ivan Jovanovic, the question of how to replace talisman Habib Fardan following his big-money move to champions Al Ahli remains.
The host's early opener was simplicity at its best.
Joan Verdu's intelligence honed in Barcelona's youth system urged him to lift his head up from a corner to see the onrushing Saleh Haboush, then supply a perfectly-weighted low pass to the edge of the unguarded penalty box that the winger calmly stroked home.
The Spanish midfielder is the embodiment of compatriot Garcia's 'tiki-taka' philosophy on the pitch. Not a short pass goes astray, or an opposing player not closed down.
The vision of referee Mohamed Abdulla Hassan Mohd, however, was questioned shortly before Holman's rasping 40th-minute leveller. Bani Yas striker Carlos Munoz seemed the victim of a clear foul from Esam Dhahi's rash sliding tackle, only for the Chile international to be booked for diving.
Nasr had ceded possession and rarely threatened prior to Holman's thumping low drive inside the near post from 20 yards.
The Blue Wave will need plenty of similarly decisive moments from the 63-times capped ex-Australia international if the sale of star UAE midfielder Fardan is not to temper all aspirations for the GCC Club Cup holders.
Invisible centre midfielder Renan Garcia must follow this example if the decision to loan former captain Leo Lima to Sharjah is to be justified. Conversely, forward Abdulla Qasem seems enlivened by the chance to escape the Al Jazira bench.
Throughout the second half, Bani Yas probed while Nasr sought crossing opportunities and swift counter-attacks.
The match progressed into a cliche of an early-season game, little real action occurring until the flashpoint with last season's 16-goal striker Toure.
Despite being a man down, it was Nasr who threatened the most in the final throes. Substitute Fahad Hadeed striking the side-netting with his first touch after racing into the box.
