Country Yugoslavia Runners-up Željezničar Goals scored 84 (2.8 per match) | Champions Velež (1st title) Matches played 30 Top goal scorer(s) Vahid Halilhodžić (6) | |
The 1980–81 Yugoslav Cup was the 33rd season of the top football knockout competition in SFR Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Cup (Serbo-Croatian: 'Kup Jugoslavije'), also known as the "Marshal Tito Cup" (Kup Maršala Tita), since its establishment in 1946.
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The reigning 1979–80 cup holders Dinamo Zagreb failed to retain the trophy as they were knocked out in the second round by Radnički Niš. Velež from Mostar and Željezničar from Sarajevo reached the tournament final, in what would become the only cup final contested by two clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the history of the competition.
In the final match, played at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade, Velež won the cup after beating Željezničar 3–2, through a late goal by Dragan Okuka. This was their first cup win in their second appearance in the final, the first one being in 1958.
Surprise of the tournament were third level sides Bregalnica Štip and Orijent who both managed to reach the quarter-finals. Bregalnica were eventually knocked out by Velež while Orijent lost their quarter-final tie on penalties after holding the Montenegrin side Budućnost to a 0–0 draw. Budućnost themselves had an unusually good run, reaching the semi-finals and eliminating two of the Yugoslav "Big Four" clubs in the process, Hajduk Split and Red Star.
Calendar
The Yugoslav Cup was a tournament for which clubs from all tiers of the football pyramid were eligible to enter. In addition, amateur teams put together by individual Yugoslav People's Army garrisons and various factories and industrial plants were also encouraged to enter, which meant that each cup edition had thousands of teams in its initial stages. These teams would go through a number of qualifying rounds before reaching the first round proper, in which they would be paired with top-flight teams.
The cup final was scheduled to coincide with Youth Day, a national holiday celebrated on 25 May and accompanied by the Relay of Youth, which doubled as the official commemoration of Josip Broz Tito's birthday.
First round
First round proper was played on 15 October 1980. As in all stages until the final, ties were decided over a single leg, with penalty shootouts used to determine winners when matches ended in a draw after regular time. All eighteen 1980–81 Yugoslav First League clubs entered the competition at this stage, along with fourteen lower-tier teams.
Seven top level clubs were knocked out at this stage: Borac Banja Luka, Hajduk Split, Rijeka, Sarajevo, Vardar, Vojvodina, and NK Zagreb.
In the following tables winning teams are marked in bold; teams from outside top level are marked in italic script.
Second round
Second round proper was played on 19 November 1980. This round was marked by cup holders Dinamo Zagreb's exit following their 2–1 defeat to Radnički Niš, and the two third level minnows Bregalnica and Orijent who both knocked out top flight opponents. The tie between Sutjeska and Velež was awarded 3–0 to Velež.
Quarter-finals
Quarter-final matches were played on 22 February 1981.
Semi-finals
Semi-final matches were played on 1 April 1981.