Getafe finally broke their long-standing jinx against Athletic Bilbao with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at San Mamés on Saturday evening, their first triumph over Los Leones in 11 attempts.
From the opening whistle, José Bordalás’ men showed greater intent and composure despite the relentless Bilbao rain that made passing tricky.
They pressed high, disrupted Athletic’s rhythm, and created the better openings in a scrappy first half.
While Athletic tried to spark something through Nico Williams, the winger found little joy down the flanks.
At the other end, Unai Simón was kept alert by a deflected Luis Milla strike, before Diego Rico’s powerful effort flew narrowly wide.
The Basque hosts looked unusually flat, with only Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta showing any resistance against Getafe’s intensity.
Their struggles deepened when captain Iñigo Lekue limped off around the half-hour mark, and Borja Mayoral almost capitalised moments later, failing by inches to connect with Milla’s teasing free-kick.
Athletic’s first real threat came in stoppage time of the first half as Oihan Sancet forced David Soria into a low save, a telling reflection of their attacking woes.
Ernesto Valverde’s men emerged more determined after the break, and Gorka Guruzeta somehow missed the target when unmarked inside the box.
With Williams seeing more of the ball, the hosts looked more menacing, but Getafe remained sharp on the counter.
As the match opened up, both sides traded half-chances, though neither could find the breakthrough until the 75th minute.
Some disorganised defending in the Athletic area gifted Getafe possession, and Mayoral pounced, driving a low shot beyond Simón to stun the home crowd.
Athletic pushed desperately for an equaliser, but Getafe held firm to secure a rare and valuable win, their first in seven LaLiga outings.
For Athletic, the defeat marks only their fourth loss at San Mamés in their last 43 home league games (W26, D13), while Getafe depart Bilbao celebrating a long-overdue victory.
