Toronto, June 24 (SANA) Croatia revived its hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama in their Group L match in Toronto on Tuesday.
Ante Budimir scored the decisive goal in the 54th minute, finishing from inside the penalty area to hand Croatia its first win of the tournament.
The victory lifted Croatia to three points and third place in the group standings, keeping qualification to the Round of 32 within reach ahead of the final round of matches.
Panama, meanwhile, suffered its second straight defeat and remains bottom of the group without a point, leaving its chances of advancing hanging in the balance.
England and Ghana share the top two spots in Group L with four points each after two matches.
The final round of group fixtures is set to decide the remaining qualification places, with Croatia still in contention for a place in the knockout phase.
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