Lazio Keep Perfect Serie A Start Alive as Cagliari Edge Lecce on Dramatic Monday

Lazio preserved their perfect start to the Serie A season with a comeback victory at Udinese, while Cagliari claimed a narrow home win over Lecce as Matchday 3 reached its conclusion.

The third round of the 2026/27 Serie A season came to an end on Monday with two matches producing contrasting stories.

At the Bluenergy Stadium, Lazio came from behind to defeat Udinese 2–1, maintaining their 100 per cent record after three league matches.

Earlier in the day, Cagliari defeated Lecce 1–0 at the Unipol Domus, with Daniel Maldini providing the decisive moment.

Together, the results brought an intriguing end to a Matchday 3 that had already produced several significant results across Italy.

Lazio Refuse to Let Perfect Start Slip

Lazio entered Monday's fixture knowing a victory would keep them perfect under Gennaro Gattuso.

Udinese, however, made them work for it.

After a goalless first half, Jesper Karlström broke the deadlock in the 49th minute, putting the hosts ahead and giving Lazio their first real setback of the evening.

The visitors responded with increasing pressure.

Their persistence eventually paid off when Davide Frattesi equalised in the 75th minute, continuing his remarkable start to life with Lazio.

The comeback was completed late.

Albert Guðmundsson struck in the 88th minute, turning the match around and sending Lazio back to Rome with another three points.

It was Lazio's third consecutive Serie A victory, and their third straight league win to begin the campaign.

The significance goes beyond the points.

Gattuso's team have now demonstrated that they can win matches even when the performance does not follow a straightforward script.

Frattesi Again Makes the Difference

One of the most encouraging developments for Lazio has been Frattesi's influence.

The midfielder has now scored in three consecutive Serie A matches, giving Lazio another source of decisive attacking contributions from midfield.

Against Udinese, his equaliser arrived at exactly the moment Lazio needed a response.

Rather than allowing the hosts to protect their advantage, Frattesi's goal reopened the contest and created the platform for the late winner.

Lazio's opening three victories have all been close, but that consistency in finding a way to win could prove valuable over the course of a long campaign.

Cagliari Finally Have Something to Celebrate

Earlier on Monday, Cagliari secured a more straightforward result on the scoreboard, although they had to settle for a narrow margin.

Daniel Maldini scored the only goal of the match in the 29th minute, giving Cagliari a 1–0 victory over Lecce.

The result gives Cagliari an important three points after a difficult period around the opening weeks of the campaign.

Maldini's finish proved enough to separate the teams, with Cagliari protecting their advantage for the remainder of the contest.

For Lecce, the defeat means another frustrating evening without a positive result.

What Monday's Results Mean

Lazio are the obvious winners from Monday's action.

Three matches have produced three victories, and their comeback against Udinese demonstrated an important characteristic: they are capable of responding when the game turns against them.

For Gattuso, that mentality could become increasingly important as the quality of opposition rises.

Cagliari, meanwhile, will be encouraged by a clean-sheet victory that gives them valuable momentum.

And while it is still far too early to draw major conclusions from the league table, Monday's results reinforced an early theme of the Serie A season: winning difficult matches can be just as important as dominating comfortable ones.

Lazio have now done exactly that three times.

🔥 Fan Debate

⚽ Goal: Daniel Maldini's finish gave Cagliari a crucial three points.

🔥 Fire: Lazio have won all three Serie A matches and continue to find ways to get results.

😱 Shock: Udinese led Lazio until the final stages before surrendering the match.

👍 Like: Frattesi has quickly become one of Lazio's biggest difference-makers.

💬 Comment: Are Lazio genuine Serie A contenders after their perfect opening three matches?