Panama 0–1 Croatia: Budimir off the bench eliminates Panama from the World Cup
Ante Budimir came on at halftime and scored nine minutes into the second half to give Croatia a crucial 1-0 victory over Panama in their Group L fixture at BMO Field, Toronto. The result eliminated Panama from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after back-to-back defeats.
Budimir, 34, delivered a composed finish after Josip Stanišić lifted a curving cross to the back post, tapping into an open net in the 54th minute. The goal made him Croatia's oldest ever World Cup goal scorer. Despite the victory, Croatia remained in third place in Group L and still needed results elsewhere to confirm their place in the round of 32.
Luka Modrić, making his 200th international appearance for Croatia, was central to his side's build-up play throughout. Panama were left without a point from two group matches, having also lost their opening game, and were unable to breach Croatia's defence across 180 minutes of football.
Key moments
- •Ante Budimir scored in the 54th minute after coming off the bench at halftime
- •Budimir's goal made him Croatia's oldest ever World Cup scorer at age 34
- •Panama were eliminated after a second consecutive 1-0 defeat
- •Luka Modrić made his 200th international appearance for Croatia
- •Croatia moved off the bottom of Group L but remained in third place pending other results
Timeline
Match facts
- BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
Match report generated from publicly available sources. Facts are drawn from the sources below.