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Two hundred international appearances. Luka Modrić walked out at BMO Field in Toronto with the weight of a generation’s worth of football on his shoulders. Croatia needed him. They needed everyone. A loss here would have ended their tournament. Instead, Zlatko Dalić’s half-time adjustments unlocked a stubborn Panama defence, Ante Budimir tapped home in the 54th minute, and Dominik Livaković did the rest. Croatia 1-0. Panama eliminated. The old guard still has something left to say.
Panama Almost Steal It First
For long stretches of the first half, Panama were the more threatening side. In the 23rd minute, José Luis Rodríguez powered a header toward goal that looked certain to find the net. Livaković had other ideas — a spectacular fingertip save that diverted the ball onto the crossbar and back out to safety. It was the save of the match. Had it gone in, the story of this evening would have been entirely different.
Croatia were unable to establish the rhythm they needed in the first half. Martin Baturina tested the Panama defence with some late pressure before the break, but neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled in a tactical, featureless 45 minutes. Dalić had seen enough. At the interval, he made his move.
Dalić’s Double Change — and the Goal That Changed Everything
Joško Gvardiol and Petar Musa were withdrawn at half-time, replaced by Andrej Kramarić and Ante Budimir. The message was clear: Croatia needed more directness, more physicality in the final third. It paid off within nine minutes of the restart.
Marco Pašalić played a sharp ball down the right flank to Josip Stanišić, who drove to the byline and whipped a curving cross across the face of goal. Budimir — the substitute, the man brought on to do precisely this — timed his run to perfection and tapped it in at the far post. One-nil. Croatia’s relief was audible from the stands.
Three minutes later, Croatia almost made it two. Modrić threaded a pass to Pašalić, who attempted a chip over the advancing Orlando Mosquera. The Panama goalkeeper stood firm and blocked it; Pašalić skied the rebound over the crossbar. A chance gone, but the damage had already been done.
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Panama Refuse to Go Quietly
To their enormous credit, Panama did not accept the result. Between the 68th and 80th minutes, they pushed numbers forward and created genuine danger — Carlos Harvey and Amir Murillo both firing dangerous shots that Livaković repelled with authority. In the 80th minute, Harvey met a corner with real purpose but could only send his effort into the side netting. The Panamanian fans in Toronto refused to stop singing.
Deep into stoppage time, Panama earned a free-kick twenty yards out after a Petar Sučić yellow card challenge. Murillo stepped up with the chance to force extra drama. He blazed it high into the stands. The final whistle arrived moments later. Panama are out.
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Modrić, 200 Caps, and Croatia’s Last Dance
For Luka Modrić, this was cap number 200 for Croatia — a number that few players in the history of the game have reached, even fewer have done so with his particular combination of longevity, quality, and impact. He orchestrated from midfield with the calm of a player who has seen everything, creating the passage that almost led to Croatia’s second goal. At 40, still here. Still competing. Still the heartbeat of this side.
Croatia now sit on three points in Group L and remain in contention for a Round of 32 place. Their final group fixture will decide everything. For Panama, the tournament ends here — but their debut was not without moments of genuine quality. The Livaković save in the 23rd minute is a reminder that they were never simply making up the numbers.
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