Modric marks 200th cap as Croatia edge Panama 1-0
On a night honouring Luka Modric's 200th appearance for Croatia, a 54th-minute goal from substitute Ante Budimir sealed a 1-0 win and kept knockout hopes alive.
- Croatia beat Panama 1-0 and stayed in the race for the World Cup knockout rounds.
- The only goal came from substitute Ante Budimir in the 54th minute, assisted by Josip Stanisic.
- Luka Modric made his landmark 200th appearance for Croatia.
- He is only the fourth player in history to reach the figure, alongside Ronaldo, Messi and Al-Mutawa.
A black shirt bearing Modric’s face and the number 200 in gold, the zeros joined to form the symbol for infinity. That is what the Croatian players pulled on after the final whistle before setting off on a lap of the pitch together. In the middle of that line, a little shy of all the attention, stood Luka Modric. The man this whole evening was built around, and the one who had already left the field in the 82nd minute so the younger legs could see out the closing stretch.
It was a picture that said more than the scoreline. That night Modric made his 200th appearance for the national team, becoming the first Croatian and only the fourth player in men’s football history to reach the mark. Before him only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa had managed it. Company in which Modric looks entirely at home, and where, the way he is going, he will sit for some time yet.
Then there was the match itself, which for a long while threatened to spoil the ceremony. Panama packed the back, Croatia knocked the ball around without a real opening, and it smelled of the kind of draw that ruins your whole plan. At the break the head coach made his move, sending on Ante Budimir, and the change paid off almost at once.
How did the goal that reshaped the group arrive?
Nine minutes after the restart, Josip Stanisic swung a cross into the box from the right. Budimir timed his run perfectly and steered the ball home from a few yards out. Fifty-fourth minute, 1-0, and suddenly the entire group calculation looked different. Stanisic, the starter, did the spadework, and Budimir, the substitute, finished the job he had been sent on to do. A short bench that still delivers.
Panama tried to respond, but without any real edge. Croatia saw the win out with maturity, no panic, the kind of experience this generation carries in its legs. For Panama the defeat meant the end of the road at this World Cup, while Croatia stayed in contention to go through.
What comes next for Croatia?
The win puts Croatia back where they wanted to be, in the fight for the knockout phase, with their fate once again in their own hands. It was not dazzling, but at this stage of the tournament the result matters more than the impression. Three points, a clean sheet and a captain who has just nailed down a historic number.
Modric has nothing left to prove to anyone. Yet the sight of that black shirt with infinity in place of the zeros suggests this side still believes it can go far with him on the pitch. The only question is how much further those legs can carry them, and whether this is the last great dance of one generation or merely the prelude to another Croatian run at a major tournament. So what do you think, does this Croatia have the legs to go all the way?
