Thomas Christiansen left disappointed yet proud of Panama in World Cup elimination

"We have to congratulate the team, not for the result, but how they played, with hunger, dedication and spirit. That was all we wanted," said Christiansen in the press conference.

"I have to be proud with how we played against a potential world champion in Croatia, that were holding out until the final whistle," he added.

"We had bad luck in a game where they scored on us on a specific play, but that is football and errors are more costly at a World Cup, and more so when you face a team like Croatia. But, the truth is we have to give our hats to (Croatia).

"They created two chances, they scored a goal. And we also had a good share of possession, we also created chances, and made our opponents react."

With the defeat, Panama were eliminated from the World Cup in their second participation. Los Canaleros also participated in the 2018 edition.

The Panamanians have lost all five World Cup games they have played, where they were beaten by Belgium, England, and Tunisia in 2018, as well as Ghana and Croatia in this edition.

Panamanian fans were dreaming of potentially progressing from the group stagses for the first time, in a country with a semi-professional league and where football is behind baseball and boxing in popularity.

"I particularly feel bad for the whole country who were excited about their team, and in the end we lost. But we also need to look at how we lost, in what way, and against whom," Christiansen concluded.