KINGSTON UPON HULL, England (Interstat) — Hull City and Birmingham City opened their Championship seasons with a 1-1 draw Saturday at MKM Stadium.

Joe Gelhardt put the home side ahead in the 24th minute, assisted by Phil Neumann. Birmingham substitute Tomoki Iwata leveled the match in the 77th, finishing a pass from Joe Gelhardt. The result matched a pregame projection by Interstat, which had heavily favored Hull to win.

The physical match featured nine yellow cards. Both clubs now hold identical records of 0 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw to start the campaign across all competitions.