Croatia defeat Panama 1-0 in a group-stage match played as Panama are eliminated from World Cup contention. Croatia’s hopes of reaching the later stages remain alive thanks to a single goal scored by Ante Budimir in the second half. Multiple reports describe the match as tense, with Croatia needing to secure the result to stay in contention for qualification.
The goal is reported as coming from Budimir, with coverage noting that he starts from the bench before scoring, and that the win keeps Croatia in the picture before their final group-stage game against England. With Panama already out of the tournament, the result determines the balance of group standings as Croatia prepare for a decisive match.
Team news is also mentioned across outlets, including that Mateo Kovačić is in the starting lineup, reflecting Croatia’s approach for the match. Overall, the accounts agree that Croatia’s narrow victory over Panama is enough to preserve their World Cup progression chances while ending Panama’s campaign.
