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This century’s San Mamés goalfests

This century’s San Mamés goalfests

We recap the previous occasions in which Athletic have defeated a league rival by four or more goals during this century.

On Monday night, Athletic Club put four past Real Betis in a confidence-boosting win which moved the Lions up to eighth in LaLiga Santander. We’ve decided to take advantage of Athletic’s big win by remembering the Lions’ biggest league wins (with four goals or more) at The Cathedral this century.

In chronological order, we start back in the 2000-01 season. The Lions thrashed Real Oviedo 4-0 thanks to a Fran Yeste brace and strikes by Javi Gonzalez and Julen Guerrero.

Three seasons later, in 2003-04, the Athletic fans experienced two goal-filled nights. Under the orders of Ernesto Valverde, Athletic defeated Real Mallorca 4-0 thanks to braces by Joseba Etxeberria and Ismael Urzaiz. Later on in the same campaign, Real Zaragoza fell victim to the Lions, with the same scoreline and goals by Etxeberria, Asier Del Horno and a couple from Yeste.

In the following season, Real Mallorca were on the receiving end of another 4-0 thrashing. Yeste got a brace and the score was rounded off by Santi Ezquerro and Carlos Gurpegui.

It would be three more seasons before the next goalfest. In 2007-08, Athletic beat Valencia 5-1 with two goals by Fernando Llorente as well as from Andoni Iraola, Javi Martinez and Aritz Aduriz.

The first season in the new San Mamés gave us two routs for the history books. First up, the Lions took Almería apart with a 6-1 win in which Ibai bagged two goals and was joined on the scoresheet by Mikel Rico, Ander Herrera, Aymeric Laporte and Aduriz. Granada were then beaten 4-0 thanks to an Aduriz hat-trick and a goal by Gurpegui.

The following season, there were also two big wins, both in the final stretch of the campaign. On matchday 32, Athletic beat Getafe 4-0 with a goal each for Ibai and Markel Susaeta and two for Aduriz. The Lions saw out the season in seventh place with a 4-0 win over Villarreal; Aduriz scored a brace and Iraola and Beñat also got on the scoresheet.

The last huge win at San Mamés, before Monday’s, came in the 2016-17 season. The Lions took on UD Las Palmas and crushed them 5-1. Mikel San José opened the scoring and braces by Iker Muniain and Aritz Aduriz sealed the deal.

What’s more,this century Athletic have managed two big wins away from San Mamés. Both came against CA Osasuna at El Sadar: the first in 2013-14 where the lions won 1-5 and the other came in 2002-03 with the same result.