Just four minutes separated Dinamo from advancing to the next round. And that against a team that went on to reach the final of the competition. In the 1st round of the Cup Winners' Cup, Dinamo and Porto faced each other, the blues won the first match at home 2-1, were on the very threshold of qualification, but the door was ultimately closed by the hero of the return match, Porto striker Fernando Gomes, then Europe's Golden Boot winner. In the 86th minute he escaped the defence and scored for 1-0, thus taking the Portuguese through to the next round. Later Porto reached the final where they were defeated 2-1 by Juventus.

The match against Porto is an example of how the competition system of that time was harsh towards that generation of footballers. Dinamo's opponent already at the start, in the 1st round, was the eventual finalist of the competition.

Dinamo was in the midst of a results crisis at that time. In the first six league rounds they recorded one win and one draw along with as many as four defeats. Then they beat Porto in the first match, but already in the next league encounter they extended the crisis. Just four days after the victory against Porto, a championship match was scheduled between Dinamo Zagreb and Dinamo Vinkovci, today's Cibalia. And Vinkovci won 2-1 at Maksimir. This was a sign for a coaching change. Rudolf Belin stepped down, and Vlatko Marković took his place. The change thus took effect between the two matches against Porto.

Marković made his debut in the Cup where the blues were awaited by Macedonian Belasica, and immediately after that Olimpija from Ljubljana visited Maksimir in a championship match. Dinamo won both matches and thus created a somewhat positive atmosphere ahead of the return leg in Portugal.

The match was played at the Antas stadium in front of 70,000 spectators, and started at an extremely late time. It was already 22:30 when the ball kicked off from the centre, which meant that the match itself had already entered the next day. For example, Gomes scored the winning goal 11 minutes after midnight. At that time, for instance, TV Zagreb had only two programmes, and both finished broadcasting half an hour before the match in Portugal began...

Coach Marković, when creating the lineup, explained that recovering player Boro Cvetković would play if he was ready and that in that case he would get preference over his competitor, Vasil Ringov, because he was faster and more suitable for counter-attacks.

Dinamo repelled the opponent's attacks well in the first half, defended solidly, while the hosts started more aggressively looking for a goal in the second half. Porto attacked, created chances, and an important role was played by the inspired Maksimir goalkeeper Marijan Vlak.

The blues were reduced to ten men on the pitch in the 50th minute after Dragan Bošnjak received a red card following a harsh tackle. The dismissal opened additional corridors for Porto's attackers, Fernando Gomes and Antonio Sousa had chances... Dinamo also threatened, in the second half Marko Mlinarić led a counter-attack, Zlatko Cico Kranjčar found himself in a great opportunity, but sent the ball straight at the goalkeeper.

Porto celebrated in the 86th minute, Fernando Gomes escaped the defence, ran alone towards the goalkeeper and placed the ball into the net.