Croatia beat Panama 1-0 with difficulty and kept alive the dream of advancing to the second round of the 2026 World Cup. The Balkan team reached three points and will define their classification on the last day against Ghananext June 27.
Before Budimir, At minute 54, he unbalanced the match with a precise touch inside the area that allowed Croatia to begin to dream of a fundamental victory.
(Portugal endured the bitter pill of their World Cup debut with an inspired Cristiano Ronaldo: they beat Uzbekistan with a crushing win)
Croatia suffered more than necessary to defeat a tough Panama
The first half was very even and disputed. It was expected that Luka Modric and his teammates imposed conditions from the beginning, but Panama responded with order and tactical discipline.
Croatia and Panama Photo:EFE
The Central Americans planted themselves well on the field of play, They controlled their rival during several passages of the match and forced the Croats to work harder than necessary. However, it is also true that they were saved on several occasions.
The canalero archer, Orlando Mosquera, He had an outstanding performance, although a good part of the Panamanian resistance was also explained by the lack of aim of the Croatian forwards.
Croatia and Panama Photo:EFE
Panama tried to respond and look for options in attack, but generated little danger on the goal defended by Dominik Livakovićwho observed how his teammates dominated without managing to break the equality.
The first 45 minutes ended in a goalless draw, although Croatia did enough merits to go into the break with an advantage.
Croatia and Panama Photo:EFE
Croatian shake
It seemed incredible that the match was still tied. On paperCroatia has higher-ranking players, but on the field they were not able to demonstrate that superiority.
The solution came from the substitutes’ bench. Ante Budimir’s entry For the second half it was decisive in changing the course of the game.
The striker took advantage of one of the opportunities he had and scored the goal that ended up tipping the balance in favor of the Croatians, who suffered until the end, but achieved three golden points in their aspirations to qualify for the next phase of the World Cup.
Croatia and Panama Photo:EFE
From then on, Croatia was able to extend the lead and score more goals, but he was not able to specify the options he generated. Panama fought until the end and never gave up, although it did not have clear chances to equalize the score either.
The Panamanians were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after adding their second consecutive defeat, while the Croatians keep their qualification hopes alive and will arrive with options for the last day of Group L.
Croatia will play for passage to the next round against Ghana on June 27, in a decisive match for their World Cup aspirations.
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