The number that mattered most in Toronto belonged to Luka Modrić before a ball had even been kicked: his 200th international cap, earned at 40 years old in his fifth World Cup, with Zlatko Dalić restoring both Borna Sosa — no, both Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovačić — to the side as they returned from injury layoffs. Panama, by contrast, arrived needing a response to their stoppage-time opening defeat to Ghana and got, for long stretches, exactly the performance that response required.
Our preview picked "Kramaric · Perisic" and a comfortable Croatia win; what Croatia actually got was a fight. Dalić made a double substitution roughly nine minutes into the second half searching for an opening, and it arrived in the 54th minute: Ante Budimir converting a Josip Stanišić cross for the only goal of the game. Panama never found an equalizer despite, by Dalić's own admission after the match, a spell of pressure that had Croatia hanging on. "The opponent, throughout the 90 minutes, was powerful, quick, was looking for the victory, and we didn't react the best," he said, crediting the traveling support for carrying his team through the hardest 15-20 minutes of the night.
Thomas Christiansen refused to be downhearted in defeat. "I think we need to congratulate them and be proud of how Panama has played against a world power such as Croatia," he said post-match. "You cannot win a match if you don't score" — and Panama, held scoreless in both their group games, are out of the World Cup on zero points from two matches. Croatia move to three points and very much alive in Group L; Modrić's 200th went into the record books with a win attached.
A 200th cap is rare enough on its own; doing it as Croatia's results hung in the balance, then watching his team find a way to win it, made the night about more than a number.
Two matches, two 1-0 defeats, zero goals scored. Christiansen's pride in the performance is earned — Panama gave Croatia a real fight in the second half — but pride doesn't show up in the points column.
A flat matchday-one defeat to England is now followed by a result against a Panama side playing for its World Cup life. Three points and a settled spine of Modrić, Kovačić and Gvardiol — Dalić's side looks like the version that's supposed to show up in the knockouts.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏴 England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
England and Ghana are level on 4 points — England rank ahead on goal difference (+2 to +1). Croatia, on 3 points, can still finish top two. Panama, on zero points from two matches, are eliminated.