Croatia kept their World Cup knockout-stage hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win over Panama on Tuesday, a result that eliminated Panama from the tournament.
Panama struggled to find space in Croatia’s well-organised defence as they attempted to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The decisive moment came just four minutes after Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić introduced an extra forward in the second half. Josip Stanišić took advantage of the change, finding room on the right flank and delivering a curling cross that was converted by Ante Budimir in the 54th minute, as he tapped the ball into an open net.
The victory keeps Croatia in contention ahead of their final Group L match against Ghana on Saturday, while Panama exit the competition without earning a point in their second World Cup appearance.
"This was very difficult and I didn't expect that it was going to be such a difficult match, to be honest," Dalić said. "We didn't react the best, and perhaps it could be due to the pressure because we really needed these three points."
Shortly after the goal, Croatia nearly doubled their lead when 40-year-old Luka Modrić, playing his 200th international match, set up Marco Pašalić on a counterattack, but Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera produced a crucial save.
Dalić admitted he was surprised by Panama’s performance.
"I was quite surprised by the quality (of Panama)," he said.
Modrić, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, has previously guided Croatia to a World Cup runner-up finish in 2018 and a third-place finish in 2022. Following his milestone appearance, his teammates paid tribute by wearing black T-shirts featuring his image and the number “200,” with the zeros designed to resemble the infinity symbol, as they took a lap around the pitch.
"Everybody knows what he means to us," defender Marin Pongračić said. "He's our captain, he's our leader, and he's the biggest legend of Croatian football, and we are witnessing him, and just him as a person, how humble he is. What a mindset, what a mentality."
Panama came close to equalising in the 67th minute, creating three consecutive chances after Cristian Martínez kept the ball alive near the corner. However, Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković produced a series of outstanding saves, including tipping the final attempt over the bar.
"These are the kind of matches where you get the feeling that you're dominating, that you might score a goal," Martínez said. "But then they have one chance and they score. These aren't teams that need much to score a goal."
Group L remains open heading into Saturday’s final matches. England and Ghana are level on four points, while Croatia sit on three. England will face Panama in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while Ghana take on Croatia in Philadelphia.