Real Madrid's main test before the season, with 120,000 spectators in the stands in the heart of Madrid, the 'royal' club at full strength, seven goals scored and – a Dinamo victory. The Blues won the friendly match in their season opener against Real Madrid with a 4-3 result in a spectacular encounter filled with dramatic comebacks, brilliant football, and attractive play...

According to numerous reports, more than 110,000 spectators gathered in the stands, with some citing figures of up to 128,000... The attendance figure was announced by Real Madrid's president at the time – Santiago Bernabéu.

The match also served as the presentation of the then-new star, German international Paul Breitner. His national team teammate Günter Netzer was also there, having joined Real a year earlier. Both Breitner and Netzer had become world champions with Germany less than two months earlier, defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the famous final in Munich.

Real Madrid's head coach at the time, Miljan Miljanić, played a significant role in organizing this Madrid match. The Maksimir team was led from the bench by coach Mirko Bazić.

Real Madrid led 2-0, with both goals scored by Vicente del Bosque, but the Blues rallied at the start of the second half, getting back into the game after Mario Bonić scored from a set piece. Ivica Senzen and Veljko Tukša also found the net, Francisco Aguilar equalized for the hosts, and Branko Devčić secured victory for the Blues. The final score was 4-3 for Zagreb.

Particularly beautiful was Dinamo's goal that reduced the deficit to 2-1. In the 47th minute, Marijan Čerček delivered a free kick, Veljko Tukša and Josip Kuže feinted to make runs, but it was Bonić who actually made the run, completely unmarked. He soared through the air and powerfully headed the ball into the net. Senzen equalized in the 59th minute after the hosts had blocked consecutive shots from Bonić and Čerček. He beat two defenders and precisely struck from 18 meters.

Just a minute later, Dinamo took the lead. Čerček sent a through ball, Tukša made the run and chipped the onrushing goalkeeper. The hosts equalized in the 67th minute from a counterattack.

The Blues' winning goal came three minutes later. Senzen played through Devčić, who rushed down the right flank, approached the penalty area and shot from a very tight angle. The goalkeeper clumsily handled the ball, which then rolled into the net.

An interesting detail from this match occurred around the 13th minute: a black cat wandered onto the pitch. Both Netzer and Senzen rushed towards it. Senzen was quicker, carefully picked it up and gently lifted it over the barrier into the stands, earning a long round of applause from the crowd.