Croatia edge past Panama to keep World Cup hopes alive

Croatia earned a crucial 1-0 victory over Panama in a World Cup Group L match on Tuesday, with substitute Ante Budimir scoring the winning goal in the 54th minute. The result gave Croatia their first points of the tournament and eliminated Panama from the competition.

Captain Luka Modric made history by becoming the second European player to earn 200 international caps. Despite dominating possession in the first half, Croatia struggled to create clear chances until Budimir converted a deep cross from the right flank, finding himself unmarked at the far post to slot the ball home.

Moments later, Marco Pasalic had a golden opportunity to double Croatia's lead when he broke through one-on-one with the Panama goalkeeper, but his shot was saved and he blasted the rebound over the bar. Panama fought hard but could not find an equalizer.

Earlier on Tuesday, England and Ghana played out a 0-0 draw, meaning the loser of the Croatia-Panama match would have no chance of advancing to the knockout rounds. With the victory, Croatia kept their hopes alive, while Panama's World Cup campaign came to an end.