Not even three goals scored in the first match were enough to progress. That one goal conceded proved decisive. After defeating Spartak Moscow 3-1 on the Maksimir pitch in the first leg of the UEFA Cup 2nd preliminary round, the Blues were ultimately stopped in the return fixture. Spartak hosted the match at their city rivals Lokomotiv's stadium, defeated the Blues 2-0 and advanced thanks to the away goal rule.

In the end, the Zagreb side paid the price for numerous missed opportunities in the first leg when they hit the crossbar twice, broke down the defence and outplayed their opponents in such a way that the final 3-1 scoreline was indeed too modest considering the events on the pitch. However, Aleksey Melyoshin ran in from the right wing, approached the penalty area and slotted the ball into the goal from an angle. Shortly after, Aleksandr Shirko almost shook the crossbar from virtually the same position. The hosts scored their second goal in the 56th minute when Ramiz Mamedov led an attack down the right flank, crossed into the centre, Melyoshin flicked the ball on, and Dmitriy Alenichev struck from the edge of the penalty area to make it 2-0. Dinamo were soon close to progressing, but Alen Petrović from the right side hit the far post.