It was a season that Dinamo finished in the relegation play-offs, but in this autumn period the Blues shone in the derby at Maksimir Stadium. The team was led from the bench by former Hajduk midfielder and later coach of the Whites, Nenad Gračan, for whom this was his debut match on Dinamo's bench. And he led the Blues to a convincing 3-0 victory.

This was also a strong confidence boost ahead of the first leg of the UEFA Cup first round against Swedish side Elfsborg. The Blues eventually overcame the Swedes and advanced to the group stage of the competition.

However, the smiles of Dinamo fans and players were somewhat bittersweet, considering that the crowd favourite and engine of Dinamo's team, Eduardo da Silva, had to leave the pitch in the 7th minute due to a serious injury. Shortly after Eduardo had slotted the ball into the net for 1-0, opposing defender Hrvoje Vejić 'sliced' his studs into Eduardo's shin. The cut was deep, and the 'Maksimir carioca' had to receive stitches. Hajduk's players played quite roughly from the very start, as shortly before Eduardo's injury, Vedran Ješe was also hurt, with doctors having to bandage his forehead and somehow manage to get him fit to continue the match.

Eduardo found Hajduk's net in the 4th minute after a lovely move that began with Niko Kranjčar's corner kick. Vejić headed the ball away, Ivan Bošnjak collected it and crossed into the penalty area where Andre Mijatović was positioned, who reacted clumsily, but Eduardo pounced like a predator and found the net.

In the 7th minute, Eduardo was replaced by Dario Zahora, who also rattled Hajduk's net with his very first touch of the ball. Veldin Karić brilliantly set up Dinamo's striker, who broke clear of the Split goalkeeper and easily increased the lead. Less than half an hour before the end, Karić himself found the target with an effective lob from about ten metres.

Interestingly, coach Gračan had taken the team on a mini training camp to Rogla in Slovenia in the previous ten days. On this occasion, alongside Gračan himself, both Karić and Ješe made their Dinamo debuts.