Croatia kept them FIFA World Cup Hopes are alive with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Panama on Tuesday, thanks to Ante Budimir’s second-half goal.Budimir scored in the 54th minute, just four minutes after coming on as a substitute. Josip Stanišic crossed into the box, and Budimir was perfectly placed to take the ball into the empty net.The win keeps Croatia in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages ahead of their final Group L game against Ghana on Saturday. Panama, meanwhile, were eliminated from the tournament and went without a World Cup point in their two appearances.After a quiet first half at BMO Field, Croatia stepped up after the break and broke through through Budimir.The 2018 runners-up almost doubled their lead moments later. Veteran midfielder Luka Modricwho made his 200th appearance for Croatia, released Marc Pašalic in the counterattack with a nice pass. However, Panamanian goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera made an important save to deny Pašalić.Panama rushed to equalize, and the closest they came was in the 67th minute. Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković saved his team with three outstanding saves in quick succession, including a fingertip stop that pushed the ball over the crossbar.The fight for placement from group L goes to the last round of matches. England and Ghana are tied with four points, while Croatia has three.On Saturday, England will meet Panama in East Rutherford, while Croatia will play against Ghana in Philadelphia with a place in the knockout phase.
