Athletic Bilbao 3 - Racing Santander 1

Bilbao: Lafuente; Larrainzar, Oscar Vales, Lacruz, Larrazábal; Urrutia, Orbaiz; Etxeberria (Javi González 92'), Julen Guerrero (Alkiza 85'), Yeste (Felipe 70'); Urzaiz. 4-2-3-1.
Racing: Lemmens; Mellberg, Arzeno, Neru (Pineda 60'), Juanma; Espina, Colsa; Tais (Bestchastnykh 70'), Morán (Estévez 60'), Amavisca; Mazzoni. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Bilbao: Urrutia, Julen Guerrero, Yeste for Felipe, Tiko, Javi González / Racing: Neru, Tais for Txema, Vivar Dorado.

Goals:
1-0. 45. Julen Guerrero. Headed on past keeper after long cross from left.
2-0. 55. Urzaiz. Overhead kick from inside area.
3-0. 78. Urzaiz. Headed in centre from Lacruz.
3-1. 83. Amavisca. Spectacular first time volley from left of goal after ball from right.

Athletic Bilbao got their revenge against Racing Santander, the team who knocked them out of the cup only a few days ago. Fate had thrown together the two teams in the league three days after Racing had won the two leg third round tie by two goals to nil, and Athletic were in no mood to take prisoners. The earlier battles had however taken their toll on both sides, and the intense January program of league and cup games had left each of the managers without seven of their first team squads, with Racing also missing the suspended Txema. Bilbao's captain Julen Guerrero was however back, and he was to make the difference in a dull first half, scoring the first goal on the stroke of half time with a spectacular glancing header after a long cross from Larrazábal way out on the left wing.

It had taken Bilbao two and a half games to get a goal against the Cantabrian side, but once the floodgates were open there was no stopping them, with Urzaiz finally coming good after a disappointing season scoring twice within the first half hour or so of the second half. Once again Guerrero was the provider of the first, setting up the powerful striker to lob the ball past Lemmens with his back to goal within ten minutes of the restart. Racing had been the better side in the first half, with Lafuente saving from Espina and Tais, and Arzeno and Morán wasting opportunities in front of goal, but with his side two goals down, Manzano made a double substitution, bringing on Pineda and Estévez. Within two minutes the Argentinian had made a difference, but not in the way his manager had expected, receiving a pat on the cheek from Oskar Vales which linesman Vázquez Riveiro interpreted as a punch. The assistant referee immediately called over referee Medina Cantalejo, and to everyone's incredulity, he produced the red card to the Bilbao defender. Athletic's manager Txetxu Rojo was furious, but he knew better than to protest against Medina, who was the referee who accused Rojo of assault in his last match in charge of Zaragoza last season, costing him a nine match ban (later reduced to four).

Rojo brought on Felipe as cover and Manzano brought on an extra forward Bestchastnykh, but that left Racing short at the back, and Urzaiz took advantage to loop a header over Lemmens from a long Lacruz free kick for his second of the night. A few minutes later Amavisca restored an element of pride with a fantastic first time volley from Mazzoni's centre from the right, but it made little difference to the result, and Urzaiz could have got his hat-trick if he had kept his feet in the area a little later. Rojo introduced two late changes to kill time, including the unsettled Alkiza, recently linked with Luis Fernández's Paris Saint Germain, and it was all over. Bilbao had finally put together two league victories in a row for the first time in a year, and with six teams only separated by two points in the middle of the table, they leap up to ninth. Racing are proud of their cup run, where they play Zaragoza in the quarter finals in ten days time, but they are now starting to fall dangerously behind in the league, sharing bottom spot with Real Sociedad now five points away from safety. Their success in the knockout competition could in fact damage their chances in the league, and Manzano is bringing in reinforcements to strengthen the side, with Mazzoni and Juanma already on board, Cárdenas joining this week, and another signing on the horizon before the end of January deadline. It may just be too late though.