At Toronto’s BMO Field, fans moving from BD Cricket Live into a tense World Cup night were treated to 90 minutes that left palms sweating, as Croatia edged Panama 1-0 in a must-win second-round Group L battle at the 2026 World Cup. There was no free-flowing shootout and no parade of spectacular goals. Instead, one priceless finish was enough for the Checkered Ones to drag themselves back from the brink of elimination, while giving Luka Modric’s 200th international appearance the kind of meaning no statistic can fully capture.

Everyone knew how dangerous Croatia’s situation was before kickoff. After losing 4-2 to England in the opening round, they were standing on the edge of a cliff. Failure to beat Panama would have left their fate out of their own hands, even with one final group match still to play. Panama, meanwhile, had suffered a stoppage-time defeat to Ghana in their opener and were desperate to claim the first World Cup point in their history. From the first minute, they packed their defensive lines tightly and refused to give Croatia any easy route forward.

The entire first half felt like a battle fought in a phone booth. Both teams threw themselves into midfield duels, and even one clean, comfortable pass seemed hard to find. In the 38th minute, Panama full-back Murillo completely beat Josko Gvardiol and burst into the box, only to hesitate for half a second at the decisive moment. That missed shooting chance brought the crowd to its feet in disbelief.

At the other end, 39-year-old Modric was still covering every blade of grass in his 200th match for Croatia. In the sixth minute, his outside-of-the-foot pass dropped perfectly into Ivan Perisic’s path, missing a clear one-on-one chance by barely half a step. The roar from the stands almost lifted the roof, and anyone watching BD Cricket Live earlier could feel the same kind of edge-of-the-seat tension shifting into this football contest.

The deadlock finally broke in the 54th minute. Mario Pasalic produced a clever backheel, Josip Stanisic charged down the right byline, and his low ball across goal found substitute Ante Budimir arriving at the perfect time. Budimir swept the ball into the net with a calm finish, becoming the unexpected hero Croatia so badly needed. The entire bench exploded, with players rushing to the touchline and embracing as two matches’ worth of pressure came pouring out at once.

Budimir has never been a headline-chasing star, but he has long been one of Croatia’s most dependable workers. After years in La Liga, he helped turn Osasuna into a solid mid-table side and set a club single-season scoring record with 21 goals in 2025. He also scored an important goal in the previous World Cup as Croatia went on to finish third. Once again, when the team needed someone to put the ball in the net, he stepped up and delivered.

Behind him, Dominik Livakovic remained the wall Croatia have trusted so often. Panama’s counterattacks reached dangerous areas several times, especially in the 67th minute when Murillo fired from a tight angle and in the 68th minute when Harvey powered in a header. Livakovic flew across goal to keep both efforts out, protecting the narrow lead as if the goalmouth were locked behind steel doors. He kept Croatia’s 1-0 advantage alive until the final whistle.

When the match ended, Modric stood in the middle of the pitch as supporters rose to applaud him. From his first appearance in the checkered shirt in 2006 to this World Cup night near the age of 40, he has poured the best years of his career into Croatia. When he was substituted in the 81st minute, the ovation he received felt like a grand salute to a living legend.

Panama’s defeat left them with two losses from two matches and confirmed their early exit with one round still remaining. They were painfully close to earning the first World Cup point in their history, but luck was not on their side. Croatia, however, moved up to third in the group with these three points and placed their qualification hopes back within reach.

For supporters switching from BD Cricket Live to the final whistle in Toronto, Croatia’s narrow victory was not about glamour or a wide winning margin, but about grit written deep in the bones. Once again, this team found a way out of trouble when the pressure was at its highest. Their resilience can still be trusted, and if they collect the points they need in the final round, they can squeeze into the knockout stage and keep adding new chapters to their World Cup story.