Six days ago, an estimated 5,000 Panama supporters gathered at Trinity Bellwoods Park in downtown Toronto before marching south along Strachan Avenue. Country flags waved above the crowd, drums echoed through the streets, and chants of "Ole, ole, ole, Panama" rang out across the city.
They were on their way to watch Panama's World Cup opener against Ghana, a match that ended in heartbreak when Ghana found a winner in the 95th minute.
On Tuesday, they did it again. Thousands returned to Trinity Bellwoods Park for a second march, this time ahead of a must-win clash with Croatia. Toronto police estimated that as many as 3,000 supporters would take part.
The chants were the same. The flags were the same. But the stakes were higher. Defeat would leave Panama on the brink of elimination, with their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread before the final group match had even arrived.
They lost. A second-half goal from Ante Budimir gave Croatia a 1-0 win in Toronto, ending Panama's hopes of reaching the knockout stage before their final group match against England.
Panama Fans Marched Twice And Lost Both Times
What makes Panama's story different from most early World Cup exits isn't the scoreline. It's the fact that its supporters marched through a foreign city twice in six days, never short on noise or belief, only to watch their team lose by the same 1-0 scoreline both times.
"Croatia is a great team, but we have faith," said Johau Lewis, who travelled from Panama to Toronto to attend both of his country's matches in the city.
"Panama is a small country with a big heart," he said. "And we come with faith."
Panama actually saw more of the ball than Croatia and created some of the game's best chances. Their closest spell came in the 67th minute, when goalkeeper Dominik Livaković produced three saves in quick succession to keep Croatia ahead.
In the end, though, Panama were left to rue another narrow defeat. Back-to-back 1-0 losses have ended their hopes of reaching the knockout stage, despite performances that often deserved more.
Croatia Defeat Ends Panama's World Cup Journey
Panama's elimination is now official. Bottom of Group L with zero points, they can no longer qualify for the knockout stage. Even a heavy win over England on Saturday would not be enough to move them ahead of Croatia because of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
That means Saturday's match against England in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be Panama's final game of the tournament. There will be no place in the knockout rounds at stake, only one last opportunity to represent their country on the World Cup stage.
For the supporters who marched through Toronto twice in six days, the result may matter less than the experience itself. The team is heading home, but the memories of those days in red, white and blue will travel back with them.
