Croatia beats Panama 1-0, eliminates them from World Cup

Croatia secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama at Toronto Stadium, a result that eliminated Panama from the FIFA World Cup 2026 with one game remaining. The win was also a celebration for Croatia captain Luka Modric, who made his 200th international appearance.

First half: Panama dominates but fails to score

Panama were the better side in the first half, creating several chances. In the 23rd minute, Jose Luis Rodriguez’s powerful header was tipped onto the crossbar by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, keeping the score level. Panama continued to press but could not find the net.

Second half: Croatia takes control

Croatia established more possession after the interval and took the lead in the 54th minute. Substitute Ante Budimir tapped in at the back post after Josip Stanisic’s low cross from the right. Three minutes later, Marco Pasalic had a chance to double the lead but was denied by Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera and then blazed the rebound off target.

Panama continued to threaten but found Livakovic in inspired form. They were unable to score the goal needed to secure their first World Cup point.

Modric's milestone

Luka Modric celebrated his 200th cap with another win. He has featured in each of Croatia’s last 21 World Cup matches, a streak dating back to 2006.

Reactions

Panama coach Thomas Christiansen said: "We played well. We fought until the end, staying true to our identity and the only thing I can say is that I am proud of my players. They played a great game, we went toe-to-toe with Croatia. That’s just how football goes. They had one clear chance and scored it. The truth is that they did not create too much danger against us. I think we were brave in this match and once again, I’m proud of the boys."

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic commented: "I want to congratulate the opponent, who was very good today and gave us a lot of difficulties. To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be this difficult. We didn’t react the best, maybe that was due to the pressure as we really needed these three points. I’m glad we were able to win Luka [Modric]’s 200th game. He played excellently today, at 40 years of age. We’re so happy to have him in the national team."