PALERMO, Italy (Interstat) — Palermo began its Serie B campaign with a 2-0 victory over Avellino on Sunday at Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Midfielder Antonio Palumbo opened the scoring in the 12th minute. The home side sealed the win in the 82nd minute when fellow midfielder Filippo Ranocchia found the net. Assists came from Lorenco Šimić, Emmanuel Gyasi and Niccolò Pierozzi.

The match turned contentious before halftime. Avellino substitute Armando Izzo received a yellow card in the 37th minute and was sent off with a red card in the 43rd. The game featured five additional yellow cards.

The result defied a pregame projection from Interstat, which simulated a 1-1 draw. Its ELO system had given Palermo a 64 percent probability to win. Palermo starts the season 1-0-0, while Avellino begins 0-1-0.