September 9: 88th-minute winner! Has Gattuso truly transformed the team? Lazio come from behind to beat Udinese 2-1 away

In the 88th minute, Dokhi delivered the ball from the left side into the center of the penalty area, and Gudmundsson jumped to head the ball into the Udinese goal, changing the score from 1-1 to 1-2. The Friuli Stadium had just been celebrating the home team's lead, but everything suddenly went silent. Everyone on Lazio's bench rushed onto the pitch, while Gattuso punched the air on the sideline. The goal came in the 88th minute of Serie A Round 3 between Udinese and Lazio, and the final score was 2-1, with Lazio taking all three points away from home.

Neither side scored in the first half, and they went into the dressing room at 0-0. Lazio had more possession, but few chances truly reached the goalkeeper; Udinese's counterattacks were more direct, with two solid shots on target as early as the 11th minute. Payero received a yellow card in the 13th minute, and the match was not spectacular but was not without danger.

The home side opened the scoring after halftime. In the 49th minute, Keinan Davis linked up in the attacking area, Karlstrom moved forward and fired a powerful shot into the net, making it 1-0 for Udinese. Lazio goalkeeper Mandas had no chance this time, as the angle and power of Karlstrom's shot left the defenders behind. Karlstrom had also received a yellow card in the 45+4th minute for a sliding tackle on Tavares; before the goal, Udinese had already used five yellow cards as the price for disrupting Lazio's rhythm.

After falling behind, Lazio pushed their formation further forward. In the 56th minute Davis cut inside and saw his shot saved by Mandas, Taylor's long-range effort went wide in the 57th minute, and Noslin's low shot missed in the 65th minute. Lazio's pressure during this period had not yet turned into a goal. The turning point came in the 75th minute when Zaccagni crossed from the left and Frattesi scored from close range to make it 1-1. The goal erased Udinese's lead and brought the match back to the wing-crossing rhythm Lazio favored.

In the 80th minute Gattuso replaced Frattesi with Gudmundsson, and the effect came immediately in the 88th minute. Dokhi crossed from the left, Gudmundsson headed from near the penalty spot, and the ball went in for 2-1. Leisu and Qiumiwu both credited the assist to Dokhi/Danilo Duchi and the goal to Gudmundsson/Gudmundsson. Some Lazio media described it as a debut winner; he played only around 10 minutes, with two shots, one on target, one key pass, and seven completed passes from seven attempts.

The full-match statistics show how Lazio won. Possession was 60% to 40%, Lazio had 19 shots and Udinese 10, both sides had six shots on target, corners were 8-2, and yellow cards were one for Lazio and five for Udinese. Lazio used more wide attacks, more corners and more late pressure, while Udinese used fouls and a compact shape to create counterattacking space, but they could not withstand the crosses in the final 20 minutes.

After three Serie A matches, Lazio won 1-0 away at Bologna in Round 1, 1-0 at home against Genoa in Round 2, and 2-1 away at Udinese in Round 3, taking nine points from three wins. They were level with Roma and Inter Milan as the only teams with three victories after three rounds; Roma had scored 10 and conceded 1, Inter had scored 8 and conceded 3, while Lazio had scored only four goals but won every match. Lazio's last three-game winning start to a Serie A season was in 2012-13, 14 years ago.

Frattesi has been the midfield core of this winning run. He has started or appeared in all three rounds, totaling 206 minutes with three goals, six shots, three shots on target, five dribble attempts with two successful, four interceptions, five tackles, and 12 successful duels out of 35. His goals helped Lazio win 1-0 in Rounds 1 and 2, and he equalized in the 75th minute against Udinese in Round 3; his three goals account for three of Lazio's four league goals.

After the match, Gattuso gave credit to the players but also discussed tactical changes. In an interview with Sky Sport, he said the team's mentality, fighting spirit and willingness to try different approaches surprised him most. They are changing Sarri's 4-3-3 system, and what he wants requires constant running and sustained pressure on opponents. In another press conference, he said formation is not that important, while quality and mentality are; the club deliberately chose lower-level friendlies in the summer because the team was not ready and needed to dismantle old ideas before building new ones. After losing to Mantova in the Coppa Italia, the team returned to the league and rebuilt its form and defensive intensity.

Details about new signing Gudmundsson are also worth noting. Gattuso said he had only been with the team for five or six days, had tried him as a striker, winger and second striker, and that he currently fits more as a second striker under Lazio's requirements. His evaluation is not only about technical quality but also whether he is willing to run and how fast his legs are. Against Udinese, he came on as a substitute and scored an 88th-minute header, completing his first Serie A appearance and first goal of the season. Zaccagni assisted Frattesi in the 75th minute and was replaced by Pedrasa in the 90th minute; left-wing crosses were the common starting point for Lazio's two open-play goals.

Udinese are not a weak team. They had one win and one draw in the first two rounds, and beat Venezia 2-1 in the Coppa Italia during the week, scoring in all four competitive matches. They scored first in this match, and despite less possession their counterattacks repeatedly created shots on target. After Karlstrom scored in the 49th minute, Bayo received a yellow card in the 67th minute and Bertola was booked for handball in the 84th minute. Udinese made several late substitutions involving Kabasele, Miller, Bayo, Bertola and Zarraga, but their central penalty-area defense still failed on the 88th-minute header.

Lazio's early concession problem should also be noted. Against Udinese they conceded in the 49th minute. Although they kept clean sheets in the first two rounds, both 1-0 wins over Bologna and Genoa were narrow. In this match, Lazio had 60% possession and 19 shots but did not equalize until the 75th minute and did not take the lead until the 88th, showing that their ability to create clear chances in the first part of the game was limited. Gattuso himself said conceding first could have led to a 1-2 defeat; that is football, and the key is players reading the game, believing in pressing and making substitutions.

Yellow-card and refereeing details also showed the intensity of the match. Udinese received five yellow cards and Lazio one; Payero was booked in the 13th minute, Miller in the 23rd, Isaksen in the 25th, Karlstrom in the 45+4th, Bayo in the 67th and Bertola in the 84th. Udinese replaced Payero with Miller in the 15th minute and Sole with Kabasele in the 38th minute, with injuries and bookings disrupting the home rhythm before halftime. Lazio brought on Noslin for Pinamonti and Cancellieri for Isaksen in the 53rd minute, Gudmundsson for Frattesi in the 80th and Pedrasa for Zaccagni in the 90th, focusing substitutions on the wings and midfield runs.

In the standings, after three rounds Roma, Inter and Lazio all had nine points, while Como, AC Milan and Juventus had seven. In the small sample of Lazio scoring four goals and conceding one or fewer, their defensive pressure was lower than Inter's, but their attacking output was below Roma's. Against Udinese, dangerous attacks were 44 for Lazio and 31 for Udinese, while total attacks were 101 for Lazio and 112 for Udinese, showing that the hosts had many counterattacking opportunities and Lazio relied more on positional play, set pieces and corners to apply pressure.

Gattuso said modern Italian football needs to reduce simulation and delays from goalkeepers restarting play. The referee's stoppage time and the late goal sequence were not significantly interrupted in this match. He also thanked chairman Lotito and sporting director Fabiani for bringing players such as Frattesi and Gudmundsson to the club during a difficult transfer period. Frattesi, on loan from Inter to Lazio, has scored three goals in three rounds, while Gudmundsson scored immediately after joining; the two midfield/attacking reinforcements directly match Gattuso's demands to be able to run, press and play multiple positions.

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