Panama were eliminated from World Cup contention after Croatia kept their hopes of progressing to the last 32 alive with a hard-fought 1-0 win on Tuesday.
Croatia, who made it to the last four of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, were looking to bounce back after a 4-2 defeat to England in their opening Group L game .
In the end, Ante Budimir’s 54th minute goal proved enough to see off the spirited Central Americans.
“You cannot win a match if you don’t score,” said Panama’s Danish-born coach Thomas Christiansen.
But he told reporters he was “super proud” of his players for how they battled against the higher-ranked Croatian side.
Despite being eliminated from the tournament, Christiansen said Panama had taken strides forward.
“These players, after these two World Cup matches, won’t be where they are today.”
Croatia’s most celebrated player, Luka Modric, was making his 200th international appearance, but
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