3-2, 2-1! Football Upsets Erupt: Al Hilal’s 47-Game Unbeaten Run Ends, Lazio and Real Sociedad Score Late Winners

A starting lineup valued at €116 million lost 0-2 at home, and a 47-game unbeaten league run across seasons vanished overnight. Could this script be more unbelievable than fiction? In Saudi Pro League Round 6, Al Hilal faced Neom SC and were broken down in the first half by Kalidou Koulibaly’s own goal and Kone’s rebound finish. In the second half, Al Hilal’s 20 shots and five shots on target produced no goals, as goalkeeper Buka stopped the Premier League attacking trio of Martinelli, Watkins and Summerville. On the same night, Lazio beat Udinese 2-1 in Serie A, with Gudmundsson scoring an 88th-minute header to give the Biancocelesti their first opening three-match winning start since 2012-13 under Gattuso; in La Liga, Real Sociedad defeated ten-man Elche 3-2, with Sucic scoring a 90th-minute winner. A 47-game record ending, two stoppage-time winners and Lazio waiting 14 years for the milestone all happened on one night. Between the heavily invested giants and the teams conceding late goals, who suffered the more embarrassing result?

At Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, Al Hilal hosted Neom SC. In the 15th minute, Neom delivered a left-side corner into the box, and Koulibaly’s attempted headed clearance ended up in his own net for 0-1. In the 45th minute, another left-side corner caused chaos in the penalty area, the ball hit the crossbar, and Kone scored from close range on the rebound for 0-2. Al Hilal’s starting lineup was valued at €116.1 million, while their opponents’ squad was valued at €64.92 million, showing a gap of more than double on paper.

Martinelli made his first start of the match and formed a Premier League attacking trio with Watkins and Summerville. Their transfer fees were €70 million, €58.4 million and €64.5 million respectively, totaling €192.9 million. Ruben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic and Koulibaly were also in the squad. Al Hilal dominated possession in the second half and accumulated 20 shots, but only five were on target. Buka made several saves, denying Watkins’ header, Summerville’s near-post corner attempt and Martinelli’s long-range effort.

Al Hilal’s 47-game unbeaten run across seasons had already set a club record, surpassing the previous mark of 46 matches. The run included a five-game winning start to this season, but after this match both the five-game streak and the 47-game unbeaten record ended. Al Ahli’s Saudi league unbeaten record is four matches longer than 47, meaning Al Hilal could not catch it and must restart the count. More painfully, Al Hilal’s previous league defeat also came against a Riyadh rival, a 1-3 loss to Al Nassr on April 4, 2025, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice. This home defeat saw the expensive defense and attack fail together: Koulibaly’s own goal and the silent attacking trio were shocking individually, and together they confirmed a major upset.

In Serie A Round 3, Lazio visited Udinese. In the 49th minute, Davis played a through ball and Karlstrom advanced to score with a low finish, putting Udinese 1-0 ahead. In the 75th minute, Zaccagni sent a low cross from the left, and Frattesi slid in near the penalty spot to equalize at 1-1. In the 88th minute, Doig crossed from the left, and Gudmundsson headed the ball into the top-left corner from near the front post/penalty spot area for 2-1. Frattesi had scored in all three opening rounds: a 1-0 away win over Bologna in Round 1, a 1-0 home win over Genoa in Round 2, and a goal plus the key equalizer in this match. Substitute Gudmundsson completed the winner, and Lazio had also hit the post before his header.

Gattuso guided Lazio to three straight opening wins. The Biancocelesti’s previous Serie A opening three-match winning start was in the 2012-13 season under coach Petkovic, 14 years before this match. Roma and Inter Milan were also perfect after three rounds, with Roma coming from behind against Atalanta and Inter coming from behind against Napoli this round. Lazio won two of their three games 1-0 and one 2-1, with the late victory over Udinese making their record start stand out in the table. Cagliari also beat Lecce 1-0 in the same round, with Daniel Maldini scoring a 29th-minute header. He has now scored Serie A goals for six clubs—Milan, Lazio, Spezia, Atalanta, Monza and Cagliari—matching Piccoli for the most among players in the same period, although this match was not a stoppage-time winner and only showed that mid-table Serie A teams are also fighting hard for points.

In La Liga Round 4, Elche hosted Real Sociedad. In the 11th minute, Orsich scored with a half-turn volley for 0-1; in the 32nd minute, Orsich assisted Herrera, who scored a low shot for 0-2. In the 61st minute, Sucic scored in a one-on-one situation, but the goal was ruled out by VAR due to a previous foul by Hong-Martin. In the 64th minute, Hong-Martin was sent off after a challenge, leaving Real Sociedad with ten players. In the 67th minute, Lemar’s long-range shot reduced the deficit to 1-2 for Elche, and in the 74th minute Nino equalized at 2-2 with a close-range finish. In the 90th minute, Orsich created another attack, and Sucic drove into the box and fired home for a 3-2 winner. Elche had only one point and conceded nine goals in their first three matches, and despite twice equalizing, they were beaten by a late goal. Real Sociedad had previously gone eight straight away La Liga matches without a win, but this comeback with ten men temporarily halted that slump.

Getafe drew 1-1 with Celta in the same round. Satriano scored first, Starfelt equalized with a header, and Romero was sent off after two yellow cards, but ten-man Getafe did not concede again. This was unrelated to the La Liga late-winner storyline, but it showed how many away teams in Round 4 were pushed to their limits by home comebacks. Al Hilal’s 47-game run, Lazio’s 88th-minute winner and Real Sociedad’s 90th-minute winner together showed that the expensive giants lost through own goals and missed chances, while the winning teams prevailed through wide deliveries and final defensive details. The upsets and stoppage-time turnarounds were more interesting than the scorelines themselves.