Budimir goal eliminates Panama from World Cup contention

Croatia has eliminated Panama from the 2026 World Cup after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory in their Group L clash at Toronto Stadium.

The decisive goal came in the 54th minute from halftime substitute Ante Budimir, marking his first World Cup goal and fifth competitive goal for his country. The strike came from a well-weighted cross from Josip Stanisic, met by Budimir at the back post for a composed finish into an open net.

Panama, who has yet to earn a point in their World Cup history after five matches, now faces an uphill battle. Despite playing without their talisman Adalberto Carrasquilla for the first two matches, they possess a better goal difference than in their debut World Cup in 2018.

Following Budimir's goal, the match saw a flurry of activity. Croatia's Luka Modric set up Marco Pasalic for a chance, but Panama's goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera made a timely save. Panama responded with three saves from Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic within a minute, including a header from Carlos Harvey.

Croatia remains third in Group L with three points, trailing England and Ghana, who both have four points. Their final group match is against Ghana on Saturday in Philadelphia. A victory in that match would guarantee Croatia a top-two finish and advancement in the tournament. Panama will play spoilers against England in their final game.