Dinamo emerged victorious from Poljud, with additional confidence provided to the Blues by their 3-0 victory against Slovan in Bratislava five days earlier in the UEFA Cup. The Zagreb side was carried to victory in Split by brilliant defensive play and inspired performances from Edin Mujčin and Boško Balaban.

The very staging of the match was, as reported by the media, in doubt because Hajduk was under suspension due to unpaid debts to Osijek. After marketing agency UFA provided a guarantee, the Split club received the green light.

A situation at halftime concerned everyone present. Dinamo coach Marijan Vlak had to leave the stadium due to health problems. He was taken to hospital for examination due to high blood pressure. The match was managed in the second half by his assistant Hrvoje Braović. Doctors determined that the high blood pressure was a result of stress or extreme tension. Vlak soon felt better and returned to Zagreb with the team.

On the other side, Hajduk's strategist Zoran Vulić sat in the honorary box during the match, while the team was managed from the bench by his assistant Mladen Pralija. The reason was that Vulić was still in the process of obtaining his coaching diploma.

Missing from Dinamo's lineup were Igor Bišćan due to a red card, long-term injured Mario Tokić and Damir Krznar, as well as recovering players Jasmin Agić and Zoran Pavlović.

The game was characterized by great fighting spirit, but without real quality moves. The Split side had possession, but without concrete finishing.

A collaboration between Mujčin and Balaban created the first real chance of the match. Balaban burst down the right flank, freed himself from his marker, passed to Mujčin at the edge of the penalty area, but he didn't strike the ball cleanly at the crucial moment.

As time passed, Hajduk pressed forward while Dinamo became more dangerous. The Blues shook the net in the 36th minute. Mujčin effectively played through Balaban with a long, precise ball, who skillfully controlled it with his chest and then fired into the net from 14 meters.

The home side went hunting for an equalizer, but without clear-cut chances, while Dinamo threatened on the counter-attack. Mario Bazina went down the left flank, pushed the ball parallel to the goal line, but Mihael Mikić didn't connect properly and it flew over the goal. The Blues were reduced to ten men in the 83rd minute after Dino Drpić received his second yellow card.

With this victory, after seven rounds played, Dinamo was at the top of the table with 16 points, followed by Osijek with 14, Zagreb with 13, Hajduk and Hrvatski dragovoljac each with 11... However, Hajduk ultimately became champions at the end with one point more than the Blues.