By Frank Pingue
TORONTO, June 21 (Reuters) - Panama and Croatia meet in a pivotal World Cup clash at Toronto Stadium on Tuesday that neither side can really afford to lose with qualification for the knockout rounds potentially on the line, depending on the result of the day's other Group L fixture.
Panama, who lost their opening game to Ghana, are still searching for their first-ever win at a World Cup and face an uphill battle to get out of a group that also includes an England side who are among
the tournament favourites.
Panama looked solid in the first half of their World Cup opener in Toronto as they dominated possession and seemed certain to score a breakthrough goal but instead lost their defensive focus and went on to suffer a stinging 1-0 loss after Ghana's Caleb Yirenkyi scored in the fifth minute of extra time.
"The result is painful, but that is because we deserved better," Panama manager Thomas Christiansen said after a game in which his team had 11 attempts on goal.
To get by Croatia, Panama will likely need their strikers to be more decisive in the final third than they were against Ghana.
Panama's first foray into the World Cup ended at the group stage in 2018. They clinched their place at the current expanded 48-team edition on the final matchday of qualifying. Croatia lost 4-2 to England at Dallas Stadium, a result that coach Zlatko Dalic said left his side with no room for error.
"It's very important for us to be at the right level after this defeat," said Dalic. "We do not have the right to any more mistakes."
Dalic was also scathing of his team's "disastrous" efforts at defending set pieces after two of England's goals followed corners.
Since finishing third as debutants in 1998, Croatia have missed out on only the 2010 tournament, and have reached the podium at both of their last editions; they were runners-up to France in 2018 and secured another third-place finish in 2022.
The Balkan side, who reached this year's tournament with an unbeaten qualifying campaign before losing to England, will likely be led by Petar Musa.
Luka Modric, who is the first Croatian to line up at the global showpiece and is widely regarded as the nation's greatest-ever player, will also do all he can to help boost their chances of advancing.
If Croatia lose, they would be knocked out with a Ghana win over England, while Panama would be eliminated from contention for the knockout stage with a loss and an England win over Ghana.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christian Radnedge)
