Colombia qualify, Croatia survive World Cup tests

Shafaq News- Toronto/ Guadalajara

Croatia kept their World Cup campaign alive and Colombia secured a place in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, after both sides won 1-0 in tight group-stage matches.

Panama vs Croatia

Croatia beat Panama 1-0 at Toronto Stadium, with Ante Budimir scoring the only goal in the 54th minute to revive his team’s Group L campaign.

The result gave Croatia their first points of the tournament after a 4-2 defeat to England in the opening round, leaving Zlatko Dalic’s side in contention before their final group match against Ghana.

Panama, beaten 1-0 by Ghana in their first match, suffered another narrow defeat and were eliminated from the knockout race.

Thomas Christiansen’s side competed with intensity but lacked the final-third quality needed to punish Croatia, especially without midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, who missed the match.

Croatia had arrived under pressure after defensive errors against England, but Budimir’s second-half finish gave the 2018 finalists a route back into the group.

The match also carried a strong Croatian atmosphere in Toronto, where supporters gathered in large numbers before kickoff and helped turn the fixture into a virtual home-stage test for Panama.

Colombia vs DR Congo

Colombia edged DR Congo 1-0 at Estadio Guadalajara, with Daniel Muñoz scoring in the 76th minute to send Nestor Lorenzo’s side into the Round of 32. Colombia controlled most of the match and created repeated chances through Luis Diaz, James Rodriguez, Jhon Arias, and Muñoz, but DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi kept the score level with several saves.

The breakthrough came after sustained Colombian pressure, with Muñoz reacting inside the area to score his second goal of the tournament. Colombia had earlier seen chances denied and a goal ruled out, but their dominance eventually carried them to a second straight Group K win after their 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan.

DR Congo, who opened with a 1-1 draw against Portugal, defended for long spells and looked for counters through Yoane Wissa and Cedric Bakambu, but could not turn those breaks into a goal.

The defeat left Sebastien Desabre’s side on one point before their final match against Uzbekistan, which they likely need to win to keep qualification hopes alive.

Colombia moved to six points before facing Portugal, with first place in Group K still to be decided.