Newsletters
Croatia edged Panama 1-0 to revive its World Cup campaign, while Colombia booked a place in the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday.
The results leave Croatia and Colombia in stronger positions heading into their final group matches, while Panama becomes the fifth team eliminated from the tournament.
Croatia picked up its first points of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a hard-fought victory over Panama in Toronto.
Both sides came into the Group L contest searching for their first points and struggled to create clear chances during a scoreless first half.
Croatia finally broke through in the 54th minute when Ante Budimir converted from close range after connecting with a cross from Josip Stanisic.
The win offers a timely response following Croatia's 4-2 loss to England in its opening match.
Meanwhile, Croatia's veteran star Luka Modric, widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, marked his 200th international appearance in the victory, becoming only the second European player to reach the milestone after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Panama, meanwhile, slipped to a second consecutive 1-0 defeat after losing to Ghana by the same scoreline in its tournament opener. The result ended Panama's hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
In Group K, Colombia secured its place in the round of 32 by defeating DR Congo 1-0 at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico. The match remained level for much of the evening as DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi repeatedly denied Colombia's attacks.
The breakthrough arrived in the 76th minute when defender Daniel Munoz found the net to hand Colombia all three points. The victory moved Colombia onto six points from two matches and guaranteed progression to the knockout phase.
DR Congo remained third in the group with one point but can still advance with a victory over Uzbekistan in its final group-stage match.
Earlier on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo made history as Portugal cruised to a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan.
Co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, the 2026 FIFA World Cup began on June 11 and runs through July 19, featuring 48 teams.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
