Croatia breathed a collective sigh of relief at Toronto Stadium as a hard-fought 1–0 victory over a resilient Panama kept their 2026 World Cup campaign alive in Group L. Following a disappointing opening defeat to England, Zlatko Dalić’s side knew anything less than three points would jeopardize their progression. On a historic evening that marked legendary captain Luka Modrić's 200th international cap, the European heavyweights had to summon all of their experience to dismantle a highly organized Panamanian side.

After a tense and physical first half, the game’s decisive moment arrived early in the second period following a tactical reshuffle from Dalić, who introduced Joško Gvardiol and Petar Musa at halftime. In the 54th minute, forward Ante Budimir broke the deadlock, netting what would prove to be the game-winner to the delight of the heavily Croatian crowd. Panama responded with aggressive play, resulting in a yellow card for Yoel Bárcenas in the 61st minute, but they struggled to find clinical final-third openings against Croatia’s disciplined defense.

To lock down the result, Croatia turned to their bench, bringing on Mateo Kovačić and Marco Pašalić in the 72nd minute, followed by the exit of Modrić in the 81st minute to a warm reception. Panama threw everything forward with late substitutions, including Jiovany Ramos, José Fajardo, and César Blackman, but they could not find a way past the Croatian rearguard. A late yellow card for Petar Sučić in stoppage time mattered little as the final whistle blew, sealing Panama's mathematical elimination from the tournament after two consecutive narrow defeats.