Lazio continued their 100 per cent start to the new Serie A season as they staged a late turnaround to win 2-1 at Udinese.
Despite a fan revolt that has seen supporters boycott home games at the Stadio Olimpico in protest at the way the club is being run by president Claudio Lotito, Lazio have begun the campaign in fine style under Gennaro Gattuso.
Having kept clean sheets in 1-0 wins over Bologna and Genoa, it looked as if Lazio would come unstuck in Udine when the hosts broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half.
Lazio conceded for the first time in the league this season as Kenan Davis neatly played Jesper Karlstrom through to slot into the bottom-left corner.
However, Davide Frattesi turned home from Mattia Zaccagni’s low cross 15 minutes from the end of normal time to equalise.
Albert Gudmundsson completed the turnaround 13 minutes later, steering home a superb header from Danilho Doekhi’s delivery from the left.
Lazio are one of three teams with perfect records through three games in Serie A, joining arch rivals Roma and defending champions Inter Milan on nine points.
Asked what impressed him about his team, Gattuso told Sky Sport: “The mentality and the desire. We dismantled everything compared to last year, when there was a master of the 4-3-3, and we are trying to do something different.
“The lads are doing things well. What we are trying to propose is not easy, but the team is alive.”
Lazio next face Gattuso’s former club AC Milan at the Olimpico as they look to make it four wins from four.
Monday’s other game in Serie A saw Cagliari beat Lecce 1-0 for their second win of the season. Daniele Maldini scored the only goal of the game, his first for the club, by heading home from a corner in the 29th minute.
Sucic the hero for Sociedad
In La Liga, Luka Sucic was the hero for Real Sociedad as they claimed a 3-2 win at Elche in a topsy-turvy encounter.
Job Ochieng rifled home on the turn in the 11th minute to put the visitors in front, and Sociedad doubled their lead by pouncing on a defensive mix-up by Elche.
Pedro Bigas failed to control goalkeeper Matias Dituro’s pass out from the back, allowing Ochieng to cross for Yangel Herrera, whose shot went through the hands of Dituro.
Sucic then appeared to have made it 3-0 just after the hour mark, only for the goal to be ruled out following a VAR check for handball in the build-up, with Sociedad’s Jon Martin sent off for the infraction.
Thomas Lemar capitalised by pulling one back for Elche, scoring his first goal for the club with a fine long-range strike, and the hosts will have had hopes of taking all three points when Fer Lopez levelled 16 minutes from the end of normal time.
Lopez bundled home from point-blank range after Tete Morente had turned Germán Valera’s deep cross back across the face of goal, but it was ultimately Sucic who had the final say.
Elche were caught on the counter as Croatia international Sucic embarked on a wonderful individual run that he capped with a rasping left-footed finish to settle an absorbing game.
Like Elche, Celta Vigo remain without a win after they claimed a 1-1 draw at Getafe.
Celta had plenty of time to find a winner after Getafe’s Zaid Romero was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 67th minute, but their failure to do so means they have just three points from their first five games.
