Croatia Edge Panama to Keep World Cup Hopes Alive
Croatia boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto, earning their first points in Group L and setting up a decisive final-round clash against Ghana.
The narrow win leaves Zlatko Dalic’s side firmly in contention for a place in the last 32. A victory over Ghana on Saturday would guarantee progression following the Black Stars’ goalless draw with England earlier in the day.
Croatia struggled to impose themselves during a difficult first half, with Panama’s pace and attacking movement causing persistent problems for the 2018 World Cup finalists. The Central Americans created several promising openings but were unable to find a breakthrough before the interval.
Recognising the need for greater attacking threat, Dalic made two offensive substitutions at halftime, and the move paid immediate dividends.
One of the introductions, Ante Budimir, broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half. The Osasuna striker arrived at the far post to calmly convert Josip Stanisic’s low delivery, scoring what proved to be the decisive goal of the contest.
The result ended Panama’s hopes of advancing after consecutive defeats in their opening two matches.
The evening also marked a historic occasion for Croatia captain Luka Modric, who made his 200th international appearance. The veteran midfielder became only the fourth male footballer to reach the landmark while featuring in his fifth World Cup tournament.
Modric once again demonstrated his enduring quality, completing 88 per cent of his passes before being substituted in the closing stages. Remarkably, the 40-year-old has maintained a pass completion rate of at least 80 per cent in all 19 of his World Cup appearances.
Following the victory, Dalic paid tribute to his captain’s extraordinary achievement.
“He is still influencing matches and to play for your country 200 times, that is a lot. We need to be very happy to have him in the team,” Dalic said.
The Croatia coach also praised Modric’s character and humility despite reaching such a significant milestone.
“Luka is very humble and this is why he is not for major celebrations. But I am very glad we marked this today in front of our fans.”
Panama pushed hard for an equaliser and nearly rescued a point late in the second half, but goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic produced a series of crucial saves to preserve Croatia’s advantage.
The win leaves Croatia with everything to play for heading into their final group fixture against Ghana, while Panama’s World Cup journey comes to an end after a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful campaign.
