Croatia Ends Panama’s Campaign and Regains Momentum

Substitute Ante Budimir scored a valuable second-half goal to secure an important victory for Croatia.

Croatia found the net in the second half through substitute Ante Budimir to claim a 1–0 victory over Panama and earn their first points of the FIFA World Cup. The crucial Group 12 match, played on Wednesday, resulted in the elimination of the Central American side from the tournament.

On a night when Croatian captain Luka Modrić became only the second European player to reach 200 international appearances, the Balkan nation broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. Budimir, left unmarked at the far post, converted a cross to score the decisive goal of the match.

Croatia, which struggled to impose itself during the first half, nearly doubled its advantage moments later. Marko Pašalić broke through on goal but failed to beat Panama’s goalkeeper. He then squandered the rebound by sending his follow-up effort over the crossbar.

Both teams entered the match needing a victory following the goalless draw between the England national football team and the Ghana national football team on Tuesday. That result meant that the losing side would have no remaining chance of advancing to the knockout stage.