Ante Budimir emerged as the hero for Croatia, scoring the only goal in a tightly contested match that salvaged their World Cup hopes. Following the match, 25 of his teammates wore black T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “It could be that Luka might want to avoid all of this, that this would not be happening all around him,” featuring the number 200 alongside a depiction of Luka Modric. Although Modric was the 26th player involved, he quickly removed his shirt after being lifted into the air by his teammates.
The 40-year-old midfielder made history by becoming the fourth male player to achieve 200 senior appearances for his country, joining the ranks of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kuwait’s Bader al-Mutawa. As the crowd celebrated his accomplishment with chants and signs proclaiming “He’s very humble. He’s very simple. He’s not for major celebrations. But I’m very glad that we marked this occasion today and that we had a victory.” Modric appeared somewhat uncomfortable with the attention directed at his legacy.
“Our faith moves mountains.” remarked Croatia’s manager, Zlatko Dalic. “They played with that hunger, with that dedication, with that spirit,”
Budimir’s goal was the sole score in Group L, placing Croatia just one point behind England and Ghana. Panama, on the other hand, faced elimination from the tournament, remaining without a single point across five World Cup matches since 2018.
This match highlighted the struggles of aging teams at a critical juncture. The Croatian squad, which previously led a nation of fewer than four million to the 2018 World Cup final and a third-place finish in 2022, needed a win after a disappointing 4-2 defeat to England in their opening game.
Meanwhile, Panama has been quietly crafting an underappreciated narrative in international football. This current group of Canaleros, many of whom are also past their prime, has achieved unprecedented milestones, including reaching the knockout stage of the 2024 Copa América and the final of the 2025 Concacaf Nations League, both at the expense of the United States. They also earned a third-place finish at the 2023 Gold Cup, eliminating the US in the process.
Throughout their journey, Panama has demonstrated a pragmatic approach, prioritizing defense and counterattacks. They often packed their formation with defenders and relied on physicality to wear down opponents, employing every possible tactic to secure results.
“That’s what we wanted of the team. I’m super proud of them. They [Croatia] put two shots on goal and scored one.” declared their Danish-Spanish coach, Thomas Christiansen, before the tournament.
However, there are inherent limitations to their defensive style, particularly when lacking the offensive prowess to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Panama has yet to find the back of the net in this World Cup, narrowly losing to Ghana after holding them scoreless until the final moments of their first match.
The first half of the game unfurled at a hesitant pace, with Panama inviting Croatia to penetrate their compact 5-4-1 setup. Whenever Croatia attempted to breach this formation, Panama would launch quick counterattacks, albeit without precision given their lack of attackers.
Croatia’s strategy primarily revolved around sending crosses into Panama’s formidable defense or trying to exploit the pace of 37-year-old Ivan Perisic. The best chance in the opening half came when Cristian Martínez directed a shot at Dominik Livakovic, while Amir Murillo’s towering header was deflected off the bar by Livakovic in the 23rd minute.
The first half concluded with both teams managing only three shots combined, resulting in a low expected goals (xG) value of 0.11.
In the 54th minute, the game took a decisive turn when Josip Stanisic, making an overlapping run, connected with a brilliant through ball from Marco Pasalic. He sent a cross that Budimir, who had come on as a substitute at halftime, expertly finished at the far post.
With the breakthrough, Panama was forced to advance, leaving larger gaps in their defense. Modric soon set Pasalic free into this newly available space, but he was thwarted by a save from Mosquera and missed the follow-up attempt.
Livakovic continued to showcase his skills, making several critical saves. However, Panama’s subsequent efforts dwindled to desperate attempts at half-chances and unproductive corner kicks.
“We were pretty aware of our quality and the situation that we were in,” Christiansen noted about his team. “What we didn’t do in the first half, we did in the second half. We’ve been relieved of the burden and now we can move on.”
Despite their efforts, faith alone could not alter the outcome. “We were pretty aware of our quality and the situation that we were in,” said Pasalic.
“What we didn’t do in the first half, we did in the second half. We’ve been relieved of the burden and now we can move on.”
If the core players of both teams came to North America for a final hurrah, Saturday’s clash against England will decide one team’s fate. The other may continue their journey, and Modric, who left the field to a standing ovation after 81 minutes, could still add to his cap tally as he continues to lead the nation he has served for over two decades.
