Match report
Budimir strike gives Croatia victory over Panama in group stage
Croatia edged Panama 1-0 in a World Cup Group Stage - 2 fixture at BMO Field, with the only goal arriving in the second half to decide a contest played goalless through the opening 45 minutes. The result lifts Zlatko Dalic's side while leaving Thomas Christiansen's Panama still searching for their first win of the tournament.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
The breakthrough came in the 54th minute when Ante Budimir converted after being set up by Josip Stanišić, sending the away side ahead 0-1. Panama pushed for a response but could not find a way past Croatia, who controlled the game's key moments despite spending less time on the ball.
Croatia dominated territorially with 58 percent possession and created the better chances, registering 1.65 expected goals to Panama's 0.55 across the match. Panama had more corners, seven to two, and committed more fouls, but managed only one shot on target compared to Croatia's two, reflecting a night short of cutting edge for the hosts.
Budimir scored the decisive goal and finished with a rating of 7.6, while his provider Stanišić matched that mark with the assist that unlocked Panama's defence.
Croatia's superior expected goals tally of 1.65 against Panama's 0.55 underlined their greater threat in front of goal despite having less of the ball.
Croatia won 1–0 away against Panama (half-time 0–0).
Panama met Croatia in the World Cup (Group Stage - 2). Kick-off was Tuesday, 23 June 2026, 23:00 UTC at BMO Field. Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho.
Key moments
- 54' Goal: Ante Budimir (assist: Josip Stanišić) — 0–1 · Watch Ante Budimir's goal video (54')
Starting line-ups
Panama (5-4-1)
- 22 Orlando Mosquera
- 2 César Blackman
- 16 Andrés Andrade
- 3 José Córdoba
- 13 Jiovany Ramos
- 23 Amir Murillo
- 7 José Rodríguez
- 11 Yoel Bárcenas (c)
- 14 Carlos Harvey
- 6 Cristian Jesús Martínez
- 17 José Fajardo
Croatia (4-2-3-1)
About this match
On this page: the Panama vs Croatia final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this World Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Panama 0–1 Croatia. Explore more on the Panama and Croatia team pages or the World Cup page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Panama vs Croatia?
Croatia won 1–0 away against Panama (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in Panama vs Croatia?
Ante Budimir (54') for Croatia.
›Where can I watch Panama vs Croatia highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Panama 0–1 Croatia are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.