Real Sociedad survived a five-goal thriller at Elche to claim all three points on La Liga Matchday 4, winning 3-2 in a contest that underlined their early-season ambitions. Elche, the club from Alicante that has also faced the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona at their compact ground in recent campaigns, pushed hard but ultimately could not contain their Basque visitors. The result keeps Real Sociedad's strong start intact while leaving Elche searching for answers.

In Serie A, Lazio left it late to snatch a 2-1 victory at Udinese on Matchday 3. The decisive goal arrived in the 88th minute, capping a tense encounter in Udine. Matteo Cancellieri was at the heart of Lazio's attacking play, delivering four key passes — the kind of creative output that kept Udinese's defence under constant pressure. His willingness to thread passes into dangerous areas proved the difference as Lazio turned a difficult away fixture into three precious points.

Elsewhere on a busy Serie A afternoon, Cagliari edged Lecce 1-0 in a tight, tactical affair. Neither side created an abundance of clear-cut chances, but Cagliari's defensive discipline and a solitary goal were enough to secure a vital home win. For Lecce, the narrow defeat will sting, though there were enough positives in their performance to suggest they can compete as the season progresses.

Across both leagues, the theme of the day was resilience. Real Sociedad showed the composure to hold on after Elche twice threatened to pull level, while Lazio demonstrated the killer instinct to strike when time was running out. Cagliari's clean sheet, meanwhile, was built on organisation and concentration — qualities that will serve them well in a gruelling Serie A campaign.

Attention now turns to the next round of fixtures, with Elche facing further tough assignments in La Liga and Lazio looking to build momentum after consecutive positive results. Cancellieri's eye-catching display could earn him a more prominent role in the weeks ahead, while Cagliari will hope their defensive solidity can form the foundation of a comfortable mid-table finish. The early weeks of the European season continue to deliver closely contested encounters, and the table is only beginning to take shape.