Oscar Ustari can only stare blankly as Gonzalo Higuaín beats him for a second time.

The fashionable district.  The working-class south.  The established.  The disrespected.  Commerce.  Industry.  A comparison between the two top Madrid clubs.  Getafe just wants to be in the conversation.  They are in the city too, they say.  Real Madrid does not disrespect them because they are not in Real's radar.  With Atlético Madrid struggling to steer their campaign in the right direction, Getafe CF had a chance to be noticed in the capital against Real Madrid at the eminent and illustrious Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

The recent difficulties for Real Madrid have been well documented.  Outclassed by Sevilla, beaten by AC Milan, mediocre against Sporting Gijón, and embarrassed by Alcorcón.  All told, one win, one draw, and three losses in the last five for Madrid.  It only took until the middle of October for the rumors to start about the future and viability of Manuel Pellegrini at the Bernabéu.  The last event that Pellegrini needed to happen was another slip-up at the hands of their unnoticed cousin from the southern part of the Madrid metropolitan area.

The first half hour of the match saw few chances between the two teams, and the funereal atmosphere within the Santiago Bernabéu did not help in spurring on Real Madrid.  What sparked both the Madridistas and the players occurred in the 28th minute, when Raúl Albiol unjustly received a straight red card.  Apparently, in the eyes of referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, Albiol prevented Getafe striker Roberto Soldado from a direct goal-scoring opportunity.  Albiol did pull the shirt of Soldado somewhat, but they both went for the ball in the air, leading to inevitable contact.  At worst, Mateu Lahoz should have given a yellow card to Albiol, but this highly controversial call gave Getafe the one-man advantage and more hope that they could upset Real Madrid in their own stadium.

Pedro León's subsequent free kick could not curl enough as it flew a couple yards wide of the right post, but Getafe neglected to use the extra man to their benefit.  Paradoxically, Real Madrid actually played better with more vim and vigor after the red card and constantly threatened the Getafe goal through halftime.  Kaká and Karim Benzema played a two-man game down the left wing in one attack, with Kaká laying a perfect pull-back from the byline to Benzema, but Benzema's strongly struck shot stung goalkeeper Oscar Ustari's hands as he parried it away from goal.  Even though it was a 0-0 score at halftime, Real Madrid seemed more likely to open the scoring, while Getafe played a more conservative game after Albiol's dismissal.  The whistles rained down from the Madridistas, but they aimed their anger more at the referees as they headed into their dressing room for halftime.

When Gonzalo Higuaín broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute to give Real Madrid the 1-0 lead, the run of play dictated that Real deserved to be ahead.  From the left wing, Marcelo whipped in a cross to Higuaín, who split between two defenders in the air, and after chesting the ball down to create space, it was a simple finish as Ustari had no chance to prevent the inevitable.

Getafe only changed their tactics after Higuaín scored.  After the referee sent off Albiol, Getafe continued to tread water rather than go for the lead.  When the goal transpired, panic seized through Getafe manager Míchel and his team, and they decided to be more gung ho in attack.  This tactic backfired three minutes later, when Lassana Diarra created a turnover in midfield, and there were only two Getafe defenders in their own half.  A two versus two battle between Mario and Cata Díaz and Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín yielded predictable results.  With the defenders on their heels, Benzema slotted a through ball to Higuaín, who took two touches and side-footed his shot across goal and across Oscar Ustari into the back of the net.  2-0 to the home team and assured three points.

Fabio Celestini had a couple of long-distance efforts that forced Iker Casillas into some good saves, but the second goal took the wind out of Getafe's sails as they played out the final half hour without any significant scoring chances.  In eighth place starting Round 9 of La Liga, Getafe looked to continue their good form against a reeling Real Madrid side.  In particular, Roberto Soldado, Miguel Torres, Dani Parejo, and Adrián González wanted to prove to their former parent club that they should not have given up on them.  All members of the Real Madrid cantera, they disappointed as they failed to appreciably affect and effect the game to their fullest extent.  Especially when Real Madrid was handicapped with one less man, they did not have the gusto that was required to defeat any Real Madrid side.

To their credit, Real Madrid arguably had their most impressive performance of the season.  It was not necessarily due to stellar football, but it was their resolve and grit to take control of a game when they went a man down and seemingly every call went against them.  The 60/40 ratio of possession in Getafe's favor meant nothing when observing the game; Getafe was ponderous with the ball, while Real were decisive and efficient after the red card.  Real Madrid expected to win this game, and even when they went a man down, they were the slightest of favorites to come out with a result, but Getafe never tilted the scales in their favor when they had the chance, and for that, they should be utterly frustrated with themselves.

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Pictures of famous Athletic Bilbao players at San Mamés. Photo courtesy of Nicholas McGowan.

Athletic Bilbao would have no problems with the proposed UEFA plan of mandating eight homegrown players in the squad of eighteen for every match or the theoretical 6 + 5 rule, where six players of the starting eleven would have to be eligible for the national team of their club's country.  Athletic Bilbao refuses to sign anyone not of Basque heritage.  This policy seems out of touch with modern times, as top European teams and minnows of UEFA try to sign the best players within their means, regardless of country or province of origin.  As their record of accomplishment indicates of always staying in the top flight of Spanish football, Bilbao is doing something right.  In the past four years, however, Bilbao finished in the bottom half of the table, including a last gasp win in the final round of the 2006-2007 season to stave off relegation.

Forsaking the cantera plan never entered the minds of the Bilbao boardroom.  These local players from the Basque gelled together in the past few years, taking the best shots from La Liga and many times plummeting onto the canvas.  Under the leadership of manager Joaquín Caparrós, Athletic Bilbao is now in a position to finish in the top half of the table and compete for European places.

Because of their amazing Copa del Rey cup run to the finals, Bilbao earned a spot in the Europa League.  After narrow escapes against Swiss team Young Boys in the third qualifying round and Norwegian outfit Tromsø in the playoff round, they commenced their voyage in the Europa League group stage with a 3-0 thrashing of Austria Wien.  In La Liga, Athletic won their first two matches, narrowly defeating Espanyol at San Mamés 1-0 and dispatching newcomers Xerez 0-1 at Chapín.  Bilbao's first real test came Sunday against a Villarreal team who was searching for their first win in La Liga after two 1-1 draws with Osasuna and Mallorca.

Both Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal played in the Europa League on Thursday, so they were on equal footing when it came to a quick turnaround.  Villarreal was used to coping with midweek European matches along with their Spanish league responsibilities since they played in European competitions for the past six seasons.  It was Athletic, though, who looked like the fresher of the two teams from the outset.  Villarreal's intricate passing and possession football were overmatched by Bilbao's more physical and direct style of play.  Being that Bilbao's roots derived from immigrant English steel and shipyard workers, Bilbao's physical style and use of whipping deep crosses and a strong, tough target man should be of no surprise.

Bilbao created most of the first half chances, and they converted on two of these opportunities, giving them a 2-0 lead at halftime.  Villarreal did not have an attempted shot until the 36th minute, and by the end of the half, the Yellow Submarine had two shots total with none of them on goal.  Central defenders Diego Godín and Iván Marcano could not handle the brute strength and the technical skill of Bilbao talisman Fernando Llorente; Gaizka Toquero and David López ran rampant on the wings in support of Llorente; and Igor Gabilondo's wicked crosses and free kicks created opportunities for his teammates and kept the Villarreal fullbacks in defense rather than making overlapping runs in the attack.

Villarreal manager Ernesto Valverde made a conscious decision to become more direct in the second half to counter Bilbao's dominance.  This strategy paid off in the 49th minute when Cani scored to cut the deficit in half.  Joan Capdevila's cross traveled deep into the penalty area, where Joseba Llorente headed the ball into Cani's path, and Cani smashed it home from twelve yards out.  Despite this development, Bilbao was unfazed and eventually regained their two-goal advantage when Javi Martínez headed in the third goal from a Gabilondo corner in the 59th minute.  Athletic eventually won the match 3-2 and kept their 100% record.

Only La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid share a perfect three for three record with Bilbao, and while no one claims that Bilbao will keep pace with them for the remainder of the season, the swagger is back with this Bilbao team.  Iker Muniain and Isaac Aketxe, both 16 years old, made substitute appearances, 21 year old Javi Martínez scored a goal, 24 year old central defender Fernando Amorebieta effectively phased out Giuseppe Rossi and Joseba Llorente for the most part, and 24 year old Fernando Llorente showed the form that made him a strong candidate for inclusion into the Spanish national team for the 2010 World Cup.

Joaquín Caparrós constructed a team that stayed true to their origins with their direct play while incorporating the highly technical football necessary to compete successfully in La Liga.  Even if Athletic were relegated for the first time in their history, their supporters would not want Athletic to renounce its cantera policy and sell out for some extra wins.  The Basques want their club to be represented by their own, and the young talent that Caparrós brought into the fold promises a budding future for Los Leones.  While the economic inequities between Real Madrid and Barcelona and the rest of La Liga may prevent Athletic Bilbao from consistently challenging for titles as they did in the 1980's, the Euskaldunak have a team of which they can be proud not just for their heritage but also for their football.

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