Budimir rescues Croatia with winner against Panama on Modric’s landmark day

On the night when a 40-year-old Luka Modric became the fourth member of the sport’s ultra-exclusive 200-cap club on the men’s side for Croatia, Ante Budimir rescued their World Cup campaign with the only goal of a tight match. It was the solitary goal scored all day in Group L and puts Zlatko Dalic’s side a point behind England and Ghana. Panama, meanwhile, are eliminated and have yet to secure a point in five World Cup matches between the 2018 edition and this one. Modric joined Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kuwait’s Bader al-Mutawa in recording his 200th senior appearance for his nation and was the beneficiary of ear-splitting support from Croatia’s robust presence here. This contest of veteran teams threatened both with reaching the end of the line. The Croatian core that lifted a country of under 4 million people to the improbable heights of a 2018 World Cup final and a third place in 2022 is ageing out and badly necessitated points after a sloppy 4-2 opening defeat to England . Panama, for their part, have quietly told an underappreciated sporting story. This generation of Canaleros , mostly on the wrong side of 30 as well, has taken its nation places it had never been in international play. To the knockout stages at the 2024 Copa América, at the expense of the United States no less. To the final of the 2025 Concacaf Nations League, again beating the US in the semi-finals. To a third silver medal at the Gold Cup in 2023, knocking the US out on penalties that time. …