Spanish matador Daniel Luque won two ears on Saturday at the final afternoon of the Corridas Generales in Bilbao, leading the festival closing card at the Vista Alegre bullring.
While Luque claimed the only trophies of the afternoon, Sevillian matador Morante de la Puebla provided the artistic highlight of the corrida, drawing roars from connoisseurs with five unhurried left-handed natural passes on his first bull.
The closing corrida attracted a near-capacity crowd to the Basque capital, reflecting a strong resurgence of public interest throughout the week following a sold-out performance on Friday. Spectators gathered largely to see Morante, though a challenging lot of bulls from the Garcigrande ranch limited his opportunities to a single brief display of classical technique.
Luque, a native of Gerena in Seville province, earned his first trophy facing the second bull of the afternoon. The animal showed signs of weakness early during the pike stage and attempted to retreat toward the wooden barriers. Luque managed the bull skillfully by keeping his cites angled to hold the animal's interest without demanding excessive physical exertion, before sealing the performance with a decisive sword thrust into the top of the neck.
The matador secured his second ear on the fifth bull, a noble animal with limited energy that charged with little zeal. Before beginning his work with the muleta, Luque performed a traditional cape maneuver holding the cloth with one hand by the collar. He then dedicated the bull to the arena assistants, known as monosabios, in tribute to colleague Jesús Sanjuán, who was severely injured in the ring during the previous evening's corrida.
Working the fifth bull at medium height, Luque covered the animal's eyes to round off each series of passes as the bull rapidly lost stamina. He completed the short performance with another effective sword stroke, prompting a widespread waving of white handkerchiefs from the stands in demand of a double trophy. Arena officials exercised firm judgment by awarding a single ear, satisfying the popular demand while maintaining traditional standards, and Luque completed two honorary laps of the ring.
Morante de la Puebla Displays Classical Technique
Morante de la Puebla struggled with a low-energy lot of bulls, yet delivered the finest passes of the afternoon on his opening bull. Facing a well-proportioned animal of limited strength, Morante exercised patience and careful positioning, placing the cloth to encourage the bull to charge through the passes.
His careful handling yielded five deep, slow left-handed natural passes executed individually without linking. The brief sequence drew loud roars of appreciation from experienced aficionados, offering what observers called the only moment of authentic and deep bullfighting during the event.
Morante received an ovation after his first bull, but his second turn on the fourth bull of the card produced little success. The bull lacked class and stamina, coming to a complete stop early in the work. Although some spectators whistled and attributed the bull's exhaustion to excessive punishment during the pike stage ordered by the matador, observers noted the animal simply lacked the physical drive to continue.
Borja Jiménez Faces High Quality Reserve Bull
The only genuinely brave bull of the corrida was a five-year-old chestnut from Garcigrande, originally listed as the sixth bull but brought forward to third position. The change occurred after the original third bull broke both horns against the sand floor and was returned to the corrals. The replacement bull displayed exceptional quality, lowering its head to ground level from the initial cape passes through to the final muleta work.
Sevillian matador Borja Jiménez received an ovation for his work on the third bull but failed to fully capitalize on the animal's sustained bravery. Rather than guiding the long charges through their full extension, Jiménez stood too close to the horn or took passes at a distance with short strokes, resulting in a fragmented performance.
Jiménez closed the afternoon facing the final bull, a substitute of rougher appearance that offered several promising charges before losing interest. Jiménez engaged in an extended but inconclusive effort to master the animal's minor complications, finishing his afternoon with ovations on both bulls as the Bilbao cycle concluded.
