Croatia edge Panama 1-0 in Toronto as Budimir's bench strike keeps World Cup hopes alive

23 June 2026, 23:00 UTC — Croatia's World Cup campaign stayed alive in Toronto on Tuesday evening when substitute Ante Budimir produced the only goal in a 1-0 win over Panama, eliminating the CONCACAF debutants and lifting Zlatko Kovač's side to second in Group L behind England. The result, confirmed by Sky Sports' match report, was Croatia's first three points of the tournament after their opening defeat to England and leaves the 2018 finalists in a position where the final group match will decide their knockout-round fate.

The win was functional rather than fluent, and Croatia's relief was visible in the closing minutes as Panama pressed for an equaliser that never came. For a team carrying the weight of a generation that reached a final and a semi-final at the previous two World Cups, the performance raised the obvious question: how much margin for error does Kovač's squad realistically have left, and can a bench-led rescue become a habit rather than a one-off?

How the game was won

Croatia controlled territory for long spells but struggled to break down a Panama side that sat deep, defended in numbers and offered intermittent threat on the counter. Sky Sports' report from the BMO Field notes that Budimir, introduced from the bench, was the decisive figure; his strike settled a tight contest in which chances at either end were scarce. The clean sheet, equally, will gratify a defence that conceded heavily against England four days earlier.

The pattern — patience, a single decisive moment from a forward who started on the bench — is one Croatia have used before. It is also a pattern that is harder to repeat against higher-calibre opposition, where possession without penetration tends to be punished rather than tolerated.

What Panama's exit tells us

For Panama, the defeat confirmed elimination at the group stage of their World Cup debut, a milestone framed by the pre-match coverage as the headline of their tournament regardless of results. CBS Sports' pre-match build-up treated the meeting as Croatia's bounce-back fixture and Panama's impossible task in equal measure. Head coach Thomas Christiansen's side will leave the competition with one point, from the draw that opened their account against Ghana, and a defensive organisation that frustrated Croatia for 60 minutes before individual quality told.

The structural read is familiar. CONCACAF sides have grown into the World Cup cycle since 2022 — Canada reached the group stage with conviction, the United States hosted, Mexico advanced past the group phase — but the gap to a squad containing Champions League-level midfielders remains visible over ninety minutes, even when the underdog defends with discipline.

England, Ghana and the wider group

Croatia's win tightens Group L heading into the final matchday. England, who beat Croatia in the opener, can clinch top spot with three more points against Ghana on the same evening; CBS Sports' pre-match notes framed that fixture as an opportunity for England to "take full control of their group." A draw or win for England would, in turn, force Croatia into a winner-takes-all final fixture with Ghana or risk a premature exit for the 2018 finalists.

The match calendar — three games in nine days across two cities, with travel between Toronto and the US host venues — continues to shape tactical choices. Squad rotation, set-piece preparation and the timing of substitutions are not luxuries at this stage of the competition; they are the competition.

Stakes and what remains uncertain

The narrow win keeps Croatia's tournament alive but does not resolve the questions their opening loss to England exposed: a midfield that no longer has Luka Modrić at its peak, a forward line reliant on moments rather than patterns, and a defence that conceded freely in game one. Budimir's intervention bought time. It did not buy answers.

Two things remain uncertain. First, the scale of Croatia's attacking problems: the Toronto performance suggested Kovač has options off the bench, but did not show whether those options can produce a goal from open play against a side that does not sit in a low block. Second, Panama's wider trajectory: one debut World Cup, one point, and a defensive shape that deserved more than elimination. Whether the experience translates into a stronger qualifying campaign for 2026's expanded edition will be the longer test.

Croatia travel next to face the group-stage closer; Panama exit with one point from a debut tournament in which the defensive structure held up for an hour against a 2018 finalist.

— Monexus Staff Writer