GENOVA, Italy (Interstat) — In a chaotic and thrilling Serie B season opener that defied pregame projections, Sampdoria and Palermo played to a 3-3 draw Tuesday afternoon at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris.

The match, a frenetic six-goal affair featuring a flurry of late drama, stood in stark contrast to statistical models. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a low-scoring 1-1 draw, while its ELO system gave visiting Palermo a 54 percent probability of victory. Instead, both teams emerged with a single point, their records now standing at 0 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw in the league and across all competitions this season.

The game ignited just before halftime. After a cagey opening that saw Palermo’s Mattia Bani shown a yellow card in the very first minute, Sampdoria broke through in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Defender Oliver Abildgaard surged forward to score, sending the home side into the break with a lead.

That advantage evaporated in a stunning five-minute span after the restart. Palermo midfielder Tjaš Begić leveled the score in the 50th minute, finishing off a move he helped create. Just three minutes later, the visitors completed the turnaround as forward Nicholas Pierini found the net, putting Palermo ahead 2-1.

Sampdoria responded in the 68th minute. Forward Luigi Cherubini, who had assisted on Begić’s equalizer, scored himself to pull the Blucerchiati level at 2-2. The match then tilted back in Palermo’s favor a decade later when substitute Tommaso Augello scored in the 78th minute, restoring the visitors’ lead at 3-2 and setting the stage for a frantic finale.

As the match entered second-half stoppage time, Sampdoria found its last-gasp answer. Another substitute, defender Pietro Ceccaroni, became the hero for the home supporters, scoring in the 92nd minute to secure a dramatic share of the points at 3-3.

The wild contest was marred by discipline issues, with the referee showing eight yellow cards. Palermo’s Claudio Gomes was booked in the 40th minute, followed by a second-half sequence that saw cautions for Begić (59’), Cherubini (69’), Palermo’s Filippo Ranocchia (71’), Palermo’s Jérémy Le Douaron (77’), and finally Palermo’s Antonín Barák in the 80th minute.

Key individual performances shaped the outcome. Begić and Cherubini were central figures, each recording a goal and an assist for their respective sides. The impact of substitutes was profound, with Augello and Ceccaroni scoring critical goals, while Le Douaron, Bani, Gomes, Ranocchia and Barák all registered assists off the bench.

The result leaves both clubs with identical early-season records as they search for their first win of the campaign. The match served as a compelling introduction to the Serie B season, characterized by relentless momentum swings and a combined offensive outburst that tripled the pregame scoring expectation.