The most txuri urdin derby in San Mamés was once again a party for the Basque fans of Athletic and Real Sociedad. The atmosphere was great before the game, during and at the end. A fun party at first for everyone, but in which the locals suffered more and the visitors ended up celebrating. That hasn’t happened here in over five years. It was now the turn of the monarchists who dared to visit San Mamés and Bilbao.
Previous rainy
The big day started in the afternoon, despite being a working day, with numerous txuri urdin fans in the capital of Biscay, many of them workers or students who reside there, while the others arrived from Gipuzkoa. Bilbao received annoying rain, but that didn’t stop the good atmosphere, always cordial, in the build-up to the match in the streets around the red-and-black stadium. Smiles, flags, t-shirts and lots of good vibes. And beers are the protagonists, more than the coffee or cachaça that are in fashion now.
It wasn’t planned, but the realistic fans finally went to the hotel where the team was resting to hold another reception like the one in Vitória, on the way to the bus to San Mamés.
Colorful in the stadium
It was not an invasion like that of Mendizorrozabut there were Txuri Urdin ‘infiltrators’ throughout the stadium, in addition to the visitors’ area. Mainly in the upper gallery, just below the reporters’ place, where they were perhaps even the majority. The red and black fans welcomed their team with a beautiful mosaic and a spectacular atmosphere, something that the monarchists also did to a lesser extent with blue and white as their flag. Bultzada made the message clear on a banner. “The dream is still alive,” and the team took care of it.
The monarchists did not remain silent nor did they allow themselves to be silenced throughout the match, as they protested in disbelief against the non-penalty of Laportethe action of Adama blow Aramburu or yellow to simulate Guedesbut above all they celebrated 200% of the goal Turrientswhich caused delirium in txuri urdin. The cry for a goal gave way to the visitor’s traditional ‘Dale Cavese’, which was not wasted, causing some irritation among local fans outraged by the team’s result. Fans who whistled Remira every time they passed the ball to him and then did the same with Aramburu when it was changed. There were periods of tension and protests, even some avoidable threat of conflict, more verbal than anything else, in the stands, but the royalists enjoyed their team and winning in such a setting and situation.
The txuri urdin prevailed
Not by number, but by the color and voice of Txuri Urdin prevailed at the end of the encounter with the tremendous royalist victory in Comanche territory. Hundreds of them stayed at the stadium to celebrate with the team, to sing along. Oyarzabalfor the protagonist Turrients while they spoke on television and also sang two hymns in a realistic tone. ‘Octopus for dinner’ and the current success ‘Llévame a Sevilla, page Oskarsson’. But the only thing that could be heard were realists around the ‘Cathedral’, which was conquered to keep the dream of living in the final alive.
