Di Natale pledged to end his glittering career at the end of the current campaign but his future remains in a state of flux, with the Udinese board and coach Francesco Guidolin seemingly convinced he is open to a change of heart - something the 36-year-old confirmed after the match
He certainly appears equipped to continue at the highest level after netting a trademark treble in a game that Sampdoria twice led, taking his overall Serie A tally to 193 goals - six of those coming in Udinese's last three outings.
After the match, Di Natale told Sky Italia: "I am having fun, now I want to go on vacation with my wife after two charity games.
"It's a shame the season is ending now, as I am in good physical shape and enjoying myself, but we'll see, I'll try to continue. I hope to continue."
It was a striker 12 years Di Natale's junior, Sampdoria's Stefano Okaka, who opened the scoring by heading home Manolo Gabbiadini's well-flighted right-wing cross in the 10th minute.
But it was then the visitors' turn to flip the match in their favour and Sinisa Mihajlovic's team led 10 minutes after the interval.
Soriano thrashed a rasping drive narrowly wide shortly afterwards but Di Natale had the final word, displaying typical predatory instincts to intercept Pawel Wszolek's backpass and coolly ensure a share of the spoils.
