[2][3] Their duels aroused great expectation and served as one of the drivers of football as a mass phenomenon in Bilbao,[2] but despite the sporting rivalry between them, their relations were friendly, and thus, the two rivals agreed to join the best players of each club to play two games against the Bordeaux-based side Burdigala at Burdeos.

[4] Three weeks later, on 31 March 1902, Bizcaya played the return fixture at home, trashing the French side with a resounding 7–0 victory with a poker from William Dyer and a hat-trick from Juan Astorquia.

[3] Taking advantage of the occasion of the coronation of Alfonso XIII, the president of Madrid FC (now known as Real Madrid) Juan Padrós, decided to sponsor and include a football tournament in the royal program that was being arranged for the coronation festivities in May in the Spanish capital,[6] and thus the Copa de la Coronación was born, the first national championship disputed in Spain and the forerunner for the Copa del Rey which began in the following year.

The Basques played and won three games on consecutive days, thrashing Club Español (now known as RCD Espanyol) 5–1 in the quarter-finals with goals from captain Astorquia of Athletic, and Dyer and Walter Evans (3) of Bilbao FC.

In the semi-finals, Bizcaya defeated New FC with a resounding 8–1 win thanks to a poker from Dyer, a brace from Evans, and a goal each from Astorquia and Armand Cazeaux.