With a brilliant performance featuring intense pressing from the very beginning, Dinamo outclassed Crvena zvezda and secured their place in the Cup final. The Blues brought to this match a touch of the playing style they had displayed in the celebrated year of 1982 – powerful pressure from the first minute. After all, in this case too, just like in the unforgettable 1982, the Blues were led by coach Miroslav Ćiro Blažević. This was his second of four Maksimir tenures in total, but this time it wasn't crowned with a trophy. Although they secured a place in the final, the Blues ultimately remained just finalists. They were defeated by Velež in Belgrade 3-1. The Mostar side had beaten OFK Beograd 3-0 at home in their semifinal clash. Dinamo created chances from the very start in the Maksimir encounter against Zvezda, in front of 45,000 spectators, and found the net in the 18th minute. Dražen Besek won the ball in front of the opposition penalty area, played it back to Srečko Katanec, who found Marko Mlinarić with a brilliant through ball. Mlinarić broke clear one-on-one with goalkeeper Živan Ljubovčan and easily slotted the ball into the goal. In the final seconds of the first half, Katanec launched a counterattack, playing left to Boro Cvetković who ran into the penalty area and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but instead of shooting he passed the ball right where Željko Cupan was charging in to tap into an empty goal for 2-0. The third goal came in the 54th minute, with Boro Cvetković leading the Blues' attack, shaking off two defenders by brilliantly setting up Mladen Munjaković on the right flank with a turn. The popular Munja used a skillful maneuver, a quick touch with his right foot upon receiving the ball, to wrong-foot the opposition player, broke down the wing, cut back to the far post, and Mlinarić, falling with his left foot from a tight angle, sent the ball into the net. The story was concluded in the 89th minute when Mlinarić, from the center of the pitch slightly to the left, effectively played a through ball between two defenders into the penalty area, where Stanislav Komočar collected it and from about ten meters hammered it into the bottom corner.