Croatia retains them fifa world cup Hopes were high after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Panama on Tuesday thanks to a second-half goal from Ante Budimir.Budimir scored in the 54th minute, just four minutes after coming on as a substitute. Josip Stanisic curled a cross into the penalty area and Budimir flawlessly slotted the ball into an empty net.The win puts Croatia in contention for a knockout spot ahead of their final Group L match against Ghana on Saturday. Panama, meanwhile, was eliminated from the tournament and has failed to score a point in either of its two World Cup matches.After a quiet first half at the BMO Arena, Croatia stepped up after the break and found the breakthrough through Budimir.The 2018 runners-up then nearly doubled their lead. veteran midfielder Luke ModricMaking his 200th appearance for Croatia, he unleashed Marko Pasalic on the counter-attack with a lovely pass. However, Panamanian goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera made an important save to deny Pasalic’s shot.Panama fought hard to equalize the score in the 67th minute. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made three outstanding saves in a row, including a fingertip stop that tipped the ball over the crossbar.The battle for qualifying in Group L will enter the final round. England and Ghana have four points, while Croatia has three.England face Panama in East Rutherford on Saturday, while Croatia take on Ghana in Philadelphia, with their place in the knockout stages at stake.
