The 1st November 1994, San Mames hung up the no tickets sign. The stadium was crowded and expectant, ready for the big game of the year against their rivals, the feared Newcastle.
Athletic were paired with a Newcastle side who commanded the Premier League and had numbers that did not invite optimism: nine wins, two draws and only one defeat, just before the duel in Bilbao.
Athletic had a 1-0 lead (in the first leg, Newcastle went on to win 3-0, but goals from Ziganda himself and Suances managed to keep the Red and White club alive), and the players, aware of this, raised an attacking football that translated into multiple occasions for the Basque team.
However, the final result was 1-0, which helped them pass through to the next round. The goalscorer was none other than Cuco Ziganda.
The goalscorer, in an interview with 'Mundo Deportivo', recalled his impressions at the time and how he played the game: "I don't know. I don't think it's the most important, but it's the goal that everyone remembers about me".
For Ziganda himself, although 25 years have passed since that milestone in the club's history, it's nice to see that fans continue to identify him with that goal, "I will always be the goalscorer against Newcastle".