Ante Budimir Propels Croatia to Key World Cup Victory

Ante Budimir scored the decisive goal for Croatia in their 1-0 victory over Panama, maintaining their World Cup ambitions while ending Panama's.

Ante Budimir's crucial second-half goal gave Croatia a vital 1-0 victory over Panama in a World Cup 2026 group stage clash held in Toronto. By scoring in the 54th minute, Budimir became Croatia's oldest World Cup goal scorer, capitalizing on Josip Stanisic's precise cross. The win keeps Croatia's hopes for a third consecutive semifinal appearance alive, following their third-place finish in 2022. Meanwhile, this loss eliminates Panama from World Cup contention, leaving their final match against England as their last in the tournament.

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Panama, needing at least a draw to maintain their tournament hopes, pressed hard for an equalizer after Budimir's goal. Despite their efforts, and a series of close opportunities shortly after the goal where Dominik Livaković made crucial saves against Amir Murillo's attempts, Panama could not find the back of the net. Croatia managed to control the midfield throughout much of the match, contrasting their previous performance against England where they were overrun.

Looking ahead, Croatia finds itself in a strong position to advance in Group L. With a win over Ghana, they can secure second place in the group. Croatia's path to the Round of 32 looks promising, contingent on England defeating Panama and Croatia at least drawing with Ghana.