September 9: Lazio Complete 2-1 Comeback! Gattuso Earns Three Straight Serie A Wins to Draw Level at Top, Why Has Frattesi Suddenly Exploded?

In the 88th minute, Dokhi sent a high cross from the right flank into the box, and substitute Gudmundsson rose to head the ball into the net. Udinese were overturned 2-1 at home by Lazio. Just three minutes earlier, Gattuso had replaced Frattesi, who had just scored, with Gudmundsson. In the 75th minute Frattesi met Zaccagni's left-sided cross with a run into the box to make it 1-1. In the 49th minute, Udinese's Davis laid the ball off with a backheel and Karlstrom fired home first. The teams were 0-0 at halftime, but the second-half goal rush silenced the Friuli stadium.

This was Matchday 3 of the 2026-27 Serie A season, completed on September 8 Beijing time. Lazio coach Gattuso lined up 4-3-3, with goalkeeper Mandas, defenders Tavares, Provstgaard, Duci and Mussolini, midfielders Taylor, Belahyane and Frattesi, and attackers Zaccagni, Pinamonti and Isaksen. Udinese started with Davis, Karlstrom, Kamara and Bijol among their midfield and attacking players. Neither side scored in the first half, with final corner counts showing Udinese had 2 and Lazio had 8.

The turning point first came for the home side in the 49th minute. Davis created the chance near the edge of the box, Karlstrom received the ball and shot directly, and Mandas could not save it as Udinese led 1-0. Lazio continued attacking through the wings, and in the 75th minute Zaccagni crossed from the left, with Frattesi making a front-post run and scoring to make it 1-1. It was a simple goal: Zaccagni's delivery was accurate, Frattesi's movement was timely, and nobody marked him in the center of the box.

In the 80th minute Gattuso made a substitution, taking off Frattesi and bringing on Gudmundsson. Eight minutes later, Dokhi crossed and Gudmundsson headed home from the far side/central area to make it 2-1 for Lazio. The statistics showed Lazio had around 60% possession, 19 shots compared with Udinese's 10, and an 8-2 corner advantage. The winner was not a fluke; it came from sustained pressure in the second half.

The first three rounds tell the story clearly. In Matchday 1 Lazio beat Bologna 1-0, with Frattesi scoring as a substitute; in Matchday 2 they won 1-0 at home against Genoa, with him scoring the only goal in the 25th minute after meeting Tavares' cross from the flank. In the Udinese match he scored again. The team scored four goals in three games, with Frattesi contributing three. Nami Sports' data showed he made three Serie A appearances this season, started twice, played 206 minutes, had six shots, three shots on target, three goals, plus defensive contributions including five tackles, four interceptions and two key passes.

Frattesi joined Lazio on loan from Inter in August 2026. Multiple transfer reports stated the deal included a €5 million loan fee, a €10 million purchase option, Inter retaining 50% of a future transfer share, and additional bonuses. In the 2025-26 Serie A season he scored zero goals in 33 appearances for Inter, but has already scored three in Lazio's first three matches. Against Bologna he arrived after a flank delivery, against Genoa he scored from Tavares' assist, and against Udinese he converted Zaccagni's cutback. All three goals came from central box areas or the front post. The pattern is simple: as a midfielder, he makes runs into the box when he sees crosses coming from the wings.

Gattuso is another storyline. As a player he was AC Milan's tough central midfielder, partnered with Pirlo for many years, and won the World Cup, two Champions League titles and two Serie A titles. As a coach he won the Coppa Italia with Napoli and later led Italy in a World Cup qualifying playoff, losing on penalties to Bosnia and failing to reach the World Cup. After taking over Lazio in 2026, he won the first two rounds 1-0 and the third 2-1 after falling behind. Lazio achieved their first opening three-match winning streak under a new coach since Petkovic in 2012-13.

Tactically, he changed the possession-oriented structure from the Sarri era into a 4-3-3 base, with the ability to switch to 4-2-3-1. He demands compactness from the back four, midfield running and wing crosses. Against Udinese, Tavares and Duci alternated crossing duties, Zaccagni led the left side, Frattesi made late runs, and Gudmundsson provided a substitute aerial option. The 88th-minute winner came exactly from Dokhi's cross and Gudmundsson's header, following the route of wing height.

After Matchday 3, Roma had three wins, 10 goals scored, one conceded and nine points; Inter had three wins, eight goals scored, three conceded and nine points; Lazio had three wins, four goals scored, one conceded and nine points. Como, AC Milan and Juventus all had two wins, one draw and seven points. Lazio scored only four goals in three matches, but had two 1-0 wins and one comeback victory after conceding first, with only one goal allowed.

Another match from the same round saw Cagliari beat Lecce 1-0. Daniel Maldini headed in Fazziini's assist in the 29th minute, and that was the only goal of the match. The younger Maldini, a former Milan player, secured three points as a lone striker, with the result belonging to the same Matchday 3 closing day as Lazio's late winner.

Returning to the Udinese match, there were also many yellow cards. In the first half Karlstrom was booked for a sliding tackle on Tavares, Isaksen received a card for protesting a decision, and Udinese's Sole was substituted injured in the 38th minute, meaning the hosts had already used a change before halftime. For Lazio, Pinamonti was replaced by Noslin in the 53rd minute, Isaksen was replaced by Cancellieri at the same time, Gudmundsson came on for Frattesi in the 80th minute, and Zaccagni was replaced by Pedrasa in the 90th minute. The substitution order was clear: first adjust the attack for speed, then adjust the midfield for an aerial winning point.

After Frattesi scored in Matchday 3, Opta data cited by domestic media stated that among Lazio representatives in the three-point era, he became only the second player after Mauro Zarate in 2008-09 to score in each of the first three league matches. His three goals account for three of Lazio's four goals, with the other being Gudmundsson's winner against Udinese. In other words, Frattesi scored all of Lazio's 1-0 wins over Bologna and Genoa, and against Udinese he equalized before the substitute delivered the winner.

Gattuso did not need to explain too many ideas after the match; the details were visible on the pitch. After conceding in the 49th minute, he did not switch to three center-backs and continued pressing the wings in a 4-3-3. In the 75th minute Zaccagni and Frattesi's combination worked, in the 80th minute he brought on Gudmundsson as a heading option, and in the 88th minute Dokhi delivered the cross. The three steps produced three goals: equalize first, then overturn the match, with Lazio's substitutes rushing onto the field after the goal.

More data on Frattesi: in the first three rounds he contested 35 one-on-one duels and won 12, lost possession 27 times, showing he is not just a static forward. Defensive recovery, pressing and forward runs are all part of his workload. He completed 45 of 56 passes and one of four long passes. His overall role remains that of a midfielder rather than a winger. Gattuso paired him with Taylor and Belahyane, two midfielders focused on coverage and organization, allowing Frattesi to focus on second-phase runs, a completely different role from his use in Inter's tighter possession system.

Lazio's first three opponents were Bologna, Genoa and Udinese. They kept clean sheets in two matches and conceded once, scoring four goals and allowing one. Roma scored 10 goals and Inter scored eight, while Lazio's goal tally was lower, but their nine points put them level with both teams. The table separates teams with the same points by goal difference: Roma +9, Inter +5 and Lazio +3, so the order is determined by the difference.

Gudmundsson entered in the 80th minute and headed in the winner in the 88th. His personal numbers do not need much explanation: he scored the decisive goal within eight minutes of coming on, with the cross coming from Dokhi. Dokhi started as the right-back/wing-back and rotated with Tavares; Zaccagni created the equalizer from the left, while Dokhi created the winner from the right, giving Lazio one assist from each flank in the second half.

Mandas was in goal for Lazio. He could not stop Karlstrom's long-range/powerful shot in the 49th minute, but otherwise handled Davis' cuts inside and Udinese counterattacks steadily. Lazio have conceded only one goal in three matches, and the combination of goalkeeper and defenders Provstgaard, Mussolini, Tavares and Duci provided the foundation for Gattuso's two opening clean sheets and the Matchday 3 comeback.

Wearing number 16, Frattesi entered Lazio's starting rotation immediately after the summer loan announcement. In the first three rounds he started twice and appeared once as a substitute, totaling 206 minutes. The timeline: announced in August, scored in Matchday 1 against Bologna either as a starter or substitute, scored in the 25th minute against Genoa in Matchday 2, and scored in the 75th minute against Udinese in Matchday 3. Three goals in three matches, with an efficiency level of around 0.68 goals per 30 minutes. Inter received a €5 million loan fee plus a potential €10 million purchase and 50% future sale share, while Lazio gained nine opening points at a low fixed cost.

Gattuso, 48, took charge of this squad. As a player he was a defensive midfielder, and as a coach his journey has included Italian cup competitions, national team playoffs and club football. After joining Lazio in summer 2026, he won 1-0 in the first round, 1-0 in the second and 2-1 in the third. The processes were different but the results were all victories. Lazio's first three-match winning start since 2012 directly represents the specific fact of a new coach changing the team's fortunes, without needing extra evaluation.