An inspired and brilliant Branko Strupar found the back of Hajduk's net twice in the Maksimir derby, leading the Blues to a victory that temporarily put them back at the top of the table. Dinamo won 3-1, which meant that with three rounds remaining in the championship, they were practically within touching distance of the title. Both Dinamo and Hajduk had the same number of points after the derby, but the Blues held the advantage due to a superior head-to-head record. However, the title ultimately went to the Split side as Dinamo managed only a 1-1 draw away to Zadar in the following round.

Strupar opened the scoring against the whites with a header in the 24th minute, followed by two penalties, one for each side: first, Hajduk goalkeeper Vladimir Balić saved Goca Sedloski's spot kick in the 30th minute, before Nenad Pralija successfully converted from the penalty spot in the 68th minute to level the score at 1-1. Seven minutes from time, Strupar headed the Blues back into the lead, and Dario Zahora sealed the final 3-1 scoreline in stoppage time.