HOUNSLOW (Interstat) — Dango Ouattara scored twice to lead Brentford to a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday in the Premier League season opener at Gtech Community Stadium.

Ouattara, a forward, opened the scoring in the 40th minute and added the equalizer in the 88th minute after Crystal Palace had taken the lead. Adam Wharton, a substitute, scored for Palace in the 52nd minute, and fellow substitute Ismaïla Sarr also found the net. Defender Michael Kayode and substitute Jefferson Lerma each recorded an assist.

The match began with both sides probing for openings in a tight midfield battle. Brentford controlled possession early but struggled to break through a compact Palace defense. The breakthrough came when Ouattara collected a pass in the box and finished past goalkeeper Dean Henderson for the first goal.

Crystal Palace responded after the interval, equalizing through Wharton’s strike from inside the area. Sarr then put the visitors ahead, capitalizing on a defensive lapse. The lead lasted until the 88th minute, when Ouattara struck again, firing home from close range to salvage a point for the home side.

The game grew contentious in the final stages. Four yellow cards were issued: Palace defender Chris Richards in the 83rd minute for a tactical foul, Lerma in the 89th for a late challenge, and in second-half stoppage time both Kayode and Henderson were booked for separate incidents, with the goalkeeper penalized for time-wasting.

Both teams finished with identical records across all competitions: zero wins, zero losses and one draw. The result left each side searching for its first victory of the campaign.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Brentford 1, Crystal Palace 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Brentford with a 63.90 percent probability to win.