Hero Budimir: We Had Luck, But You Need It In Such Matches

Ante Budimir emerged as Croatia's hero in their 1-0 victory over Panama at the World Cup. Coming off the bench, he scored the decisive goal for his team. He admitted that the "Vatreni" also had a touch of luck to secure the win.

"We suffered, we had to defend, and in the end, we also had luck – the kind you need in such matches. Panama played very well, but I'm happy that we ultimately won," Budimir stated.

"It was fantastic to come on and score in front of a stadium almost entirely filled with Croatians, for a win at a major tournament – this is my first such goal. We needed to start winning; this is the starting point from which we must build. As for Modric – I don't know how many players have even reached 200 caps for the national team. We are grateful to have him as a player and as a person. It's even better when you win," the striker added.

With this goal, Ante Budimir also became Croatia's oldest goalscorer at a World Cup (34 years and 336 days), surpassing Ivica Olic (34 years and 277 days).