Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic feature as Croatia edge Panama

Manchester City’s Croatian duo both featured prominently in Croatia’s narrow victory over Panama to qualify for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday night.

Croatia kept their World Cup dreams alive in Group L with a vital 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto, picking up their first points of the tournament and setting up a mammoth clash on Saturday with Ghana to decide their final positioning in the group.

Zlatko Dalić’s side know that a win against Ghana – who fought out a scoreless draw with England earlier in the day – will officially book their ticket to the round of 32 in a strong position.

The decisive moment arrived nine minutes after the interval when second-half substitute Ante Budimir netted the only goal, a result that mathematically eliminated a resilient Panama side following their second consecutive defeat.

The first half had proved to be a frustrating, scoreless affair for the 2018 finalists, who frequently struggled to contain Panama’s explosive speed on the counter-attack.

Dalić responded to the sluggish performance by shifting his tactical blueprint at half-time with two aggressive, attack-minded substitutions at the expensive of Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol. The gamble paid immediate dividends when Osasuna forward Budimir found space at the back post to guide home a precise, low delivery from Josip Stanišić.

The match held immense historical significance for Croatia captain Luka Modrić, who celebrated his landmark 200th international appearance with a crucial victory. The legendary 40-year-old midfielder, who was given a standing ovation when substituted in the 81st minute, becomes only the fourth male footballer in history to reach the double-century cap milestone.

Panama pushed desperately for an equaliser to salvage their campaign, but they were repeatedly denied by an inspired Dominik Livaković, with the Croatian goalkeeper producing a spectacular flurry of saves during a chaotic goalmouth scramble.

Josko Gvardiol match statistics vs Panama

45 Minutes
38 Touches
23 Accurate Passes
79% Pass Accuracy
4 Recoveries
3 Clearances
3 Ground Duels Won
2 Was Fouled
1 Tackle
1 Headed Clearance
1 Pass Into Final Third
1 Touch In Opposition Box

Mateo Kovacic match statistics vs Panama

72 Minutes
71 Touches
60 Accurate Passes
97% Pass Accuracy
6 Passes Into Final Third
2 Tackles
2 Ground Duels Won
1 Recovery
1 Interception

Data courtesy of FotMob.