Morante and Aguado showcase the art of high-quality bullfighting in Gijón

The third bullfight of the Feria de Begoña produced one of the most outstanding afternoons of the Gijón season. Morante de la Puebla and Pablo Aguado were carried out of the bullring on the shoulders of the crowd, while José María Manzanares completed the trio with a committed performance.

The Núñez del Cuvillo corrida was correctly presented and, overall, showed nobility, although the bulls varied in their response and lacked some strength. The bullring was sold out, with No hay billetes displayed at the box office, confirming the great atmosphere surrounding this year’s feria.

Morante finds his rhythm

Morante de la Puebla opened the afternoon with a first bull that allowed him to display his distinctive concept of bullfighting. The Sevillian matador carefully managed the pace and drew the bull’s charges with slowness and precision, building a performance based on composure and expression.

Three series stood out in particular for the way he led the bull, always maintaining the measured rhythm that characterises the matador from La Puebla del Río. A decisive sword thrust rounded off the performance, and the reward was two ears.

The fourth bull behaved differently. Morante had to contribute a great deal himself to provoke the bull’s charges and produced passages of great depth, displaying control, stillness and elegance. The performance, however, went unrewarded due to his difficulties with the sword. He was applauded after a warning.

Aguado: naturalness and personality

Pablo Aguado produced another of the afternoon’s performances with the greatest artistic content.

His work with the third bull began forcefully, on his knees and close to the barriers, before developing into a performance marked by softness and naturalness. The Sevillian matador performed with particular purity and succeeded in allowing the most inspired moments to emerge without artifice.

The sword thrust provided the finishing touch to a performance that earned him two ears and a shoulder ride.

Against the sixth, he once again displayed his resources and personality. The bull was noble, although slower in its charges, forcing the matador to add greater intensity to his performance. Aguado responded firmly and finished by cutting one more ear.

Manzanares gives his all but goes unrewarded

José María Manzanares had to deal with a pair of bulls of differing qualities.

The second was noble but showed a lack of strength. The Alicante-born matador showed determination and tried to build a performance that ultimately failed to reach the necessary intensity.

With the fifth, the least cooperative bull of the corrida, Manzanares once again showed willingness and attempted to overcome the difficulties. The sword also failed him on both occasions, leaving his final tally at two rounds of applause after a warning, according to the official record of the bullfight.

During the banderillas, Iván García was acknowledged from the ring, providing one of the afternoon’s highlights in the third of the bullfight.

The afternoon therefore ended with two clear protagonists: Morante de la Puebla and Pablo Aguado, who shared a shoulder ride from a completely devoted Gijón crowd.