Croatia pile pressure on England with nervy win over eliminated Panama

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Croatia netted a second-half goal from substitute Ante Budimir to beat Panama 1-0 for their first ⁠points of the World Cup in a high-stakes Group L clash on Tuesday that eliminated the Central ⁠American side.

On a ⁠night when Croatia captain Luka Modric became the second ⁠European to earn a 200th cap, ⁠the Balkans side ‌broke the deadlock when Budimir, alone at the back post, ‌converted a deep cross ‌in the 54th minute.

Croatia, who struggled to assert their dominance in the ⁠first half, nearly doubled their lead moments later when Marco Pasalic broke through alone but he could not beat the Panama goalkeeper and then skied the ‌rebound.

Both sides were desperate for points after a 0-0 ‌draw earlier on ⁠Tuesday between England and ⁠Ghana meant the losers would have no ‌hope of reaching the ‌knockout round.

More to follow…