Panama eliminated from World Cup following narrow defeat to Croatia

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Panama were eliminated from World Cup contention after Croatia kept their hopes of progressing to the last 32 alive with a hard-fought 1-0 win on Tuesday.

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Croatia, who made it to the last four of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, were looking to bounce back after a 4-2 defeat to England in their opening Group L game .

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In the end, Ante Budimir’s 54th minute goal proved enough to see off the spirited Central Americans.

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“You cannot win a match if you don’t score,” said Panama’s Danish-born coach Thomas Christiansen.

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But he told reporters he was “super proud” of his players for how they battled against the higher-ranked Croatian side.

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Despite being eliminated from the tournament, Christiansen said Panama had taken strides forward.

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“These players, after these two World Cup matches, won’t be where they are today.”

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Croatia’s most celebrated player, Luka Modric, was making his 200th international appearance, but his early headed effort on goal sailed over the bar.

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Under Christiansen, Panama have implemented a tight defensive structure that helped them secure their second-ever World Cup appearance.

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But it was the Panamanian offence that almost made the difference in the first half.

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In the 23rd minute Jose Luis Rodriguez guided a header towards goal but the outstretched fingertips of Croatian ‘keeper Dominik Livakovic redirected the ball off the bar.

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The second half marked a clear momentum shift and the capacity crowd of 43,000 in Toronto with a strong Croatian majority erupted when Budimir tapped in a cross from Josip Stanisic.

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Croatia should have been two up minutes later, when a perfectly weighted pass from Modric sent Marco Pasalic alone speeding towards goal.

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Pasalic’s first effort was stopped by keeper Orlando Mosquera and although the rebound came back to him he blasted an off-balance second attempt well over the bar.

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Panama kept pressing for the equalizer but they ultimately failed to find the net, extending their World Cup goalless streak.

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They face England in what will be their final match of the tournament on Friday.

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Croatia have three points and will face Ghana, who moved onto four points after holding England to a goalless draw earlier, for a place in the final 32.

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• ‘Very humble’ –

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After the match, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic was asked about Modric’s milestone international appearance, and whether the AC Milan midfielder was uncomfortable being the focus of adulation.

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Modric, 40, went off as a substitute after 81 minutes, prompting a roar of applause in the Toronto stadium, and was lifted in the air by his teammates after the final whistle.

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“It could be that Luka might want to avoid all this,” Dalic told reporters.

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“He’s very humble, he’s very simple,” he added, saying Modric “truly is not for major celebrations, but I’m very glad that we marked this today.”

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In Dalic’s view, Modric is a “born leader,” not someone who needs to impose his leadership role on the squad.

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“That’s what makes Luka a quality person,” the Croatian coach said.

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AFP

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