A second-half goal from substitute Ante Budimir proved enough for Croatia to defeat Panama 1-0 on Tuesday at Toronto Stadium, keeping their hopes of reaching the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup alive while eliminating the Central Americans from contention.
Budimir, 34, came on at half-time and broke the deadlock in the 54th minute after a sharp combination on the right flank. Josip Stanišić played a crisp cross to the back post, where Budimir composed himself to tap into an open net past a diving Orlando Mosquera. It was the striker's first World Cup goal and his fifth in competitive international football — and it made him, at 34 years and 336 days, the oldest goalscorer for Croatia at a World Cup, surpassing a record previously held by Ivica Olić. The result was Croatia's first win of the tournament, having suffered a 4-2 defeat to England in their opener in Dallas.
The match was tightly contested throughout. Panama — coached by Danish-born Thomas Christiansen and playing without injured playmaker Adalberto Carrasquilla — were far from passive, pressing forward with confidence and offering few signs of deference toward a Croatian side that reached the semi-finals in 2018 and finished third in 2022. In the first half, José Luis Rodríguez guided a header towards goal, only for goalkeeper Dominik Livaković to tip it onto the bar. After Budimir's goal, Panama forced Livaković into three saves in quick succession, including a strong leap to deny Carlos Harvey's header from a corner. Croatia had the chance to double their lead when captain Luka Modrić — making his 200th international appearance — played Pašalić clean through on goal, but Mosquera smothered the first attempt and Pašalić blazed the rebound well wide.
The result leaves Croatia third in Group L with three points, one behind England and Ghana, who drew 0-0 earlier on Tuesday. Croatia will face Ghana in their final group match on Saturday in Philadelphia; a win would secure a place in the knockout rounds. Panama, who have yet to score or earn a point across five World Cup appearances in their history, will close out their tournament against England.
The victory matters beyond the immediate standings. Croatia's celebrated golden generation, anchored by the 40-year-old Modrić, is nearing the end of its World Cup run — the team is no longer feared in the way it once was, but Budimir's contribution from the bench underlines how Croatia continue to find solutions when it matters most. For Panama, despite the early elimination, their willingness to attack and a markedly improved goal difference compared to their debut tournament in 2018 signals genuine progress for a nation still finding its footing on football's biggest stage.