Toronto (Showbiz Desk): In an important Group L match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Croatia defeated Panama 1-0, keeping their hopes of survival in the tournament alive, while Panama was eliminated from the event.
In a thrilling encounter played at the Toronto Stadium, both teams failed to score during the early stages. Panama launched several dangerous attacks, but Croatia’s strong defense and goalkeeper Dominik Livaković delivered an outstanding performance, successfully stopping all attempts.
The only and decisive goal of the match was scored in the 54th minute by Ante Budimir. After an excellent move by Marco Pašalić, a brilliant cross from Joško Gvardiol found Budimir, who sent the ball into the net to give his team the lead.
After taking the lead, Croatia created more scoring opportunities but failed to extend their advantage. On the other hand, Panama continued to struggle and was unable to find the back of the net despite their efforts.
With this victory, Croatia has kept its chances of reaching the next stage of the group alive, while Panama, after a second consecutive defeat, has been knocked out of the World Cup.