The Cup final opposed Crvena zvezda to Dinamo (Zagreb) and considering how the opponents performed in the championship, the final should have been an easy walkover for Crvena zvezda. But this was a cup final played between Serbians and Croats and momentary form was not an issue. Dinamo won minimally the first leg in Zagreb – 1-0 on May 14. Ten days later they extracted 1-1 tie in the second leg and won the cup.
Tired and covered with mud Cup winners – it was not easy, but the trophy was going to Zagreb.
Losing finalists Crvena zvezda. How great is great? Crvena zvezda should have been a double winner if really great. Crvena zvezda, however good or bad, did not win the Cup since 1971. They played only twice at the final since 1971 and lost both times to Croatian clubs. Actually, only Croatians won the Yugoslavian Cup since 1971 – and only three times Serbian clubs played at the final.
Dinamo won its 6th Cup and the first trophy since 1969. Had to wait 10 years for that, but their coming back surely. The disastrous championship was compensated by winning the Cup and confidence was restored – it was important for a young squad. Kranjcar, Mlinaric, Ivkovic, Bogdan, Bonic, the squad had s strong group of talented young players, led by Velimir Zajec. Zajec had a miserable season – he appeared in only 13 matches, most likely because of injuries, and Dinamo was greatly affected by his absence. But he was one of the most important Yugoslavian midfielders at the time and there was no doubt he will be one of the greatest stars of the early 1980s – and Dinamo’s fate depended on him. The team underperformed, obviously not at its peak yet, but by winning the Cup, the team returned to the right path: it was the team for the near future. The 1980s started brightly for Dinamo after all.