Croatia's Dejan Lovren Says He's 'One Of The Best Defenders In The World'

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren is confident that he is a cut above the rest when it comes to playing defense.

Lovren, who played tremendous defense in Croatia's 2-1 semifinal victory over England, said that he disagrees with people who say that he had a difficult season. Prior to steering Croatia into the World Cup final, the Croatian defender also helped Liverpool make the finals of the Champions League.

"I think people should recognise that I am also one of the best defenders in the world and not just talk nonsense," Lovren demanded.

Before their game against England, pundits have been critical on how Lovren will contain Harry Kane. It can be brought to mind that Kane outplayed Lovren in Tottenham Hotspur's 4-1 victory over Liverpool last October.

Lovren Answered The Challenge

Nonetheless, Lovren managed to shut down his doubters as Croatia limited the scoring opportunities of Kane and England. The Three Lions got their only goal of the match courtesy of a delicious free-kick from Kieran Trippier in the fifth minute. Since Trippier's goal, England has failed to uncork a single shot on goal.

The Croatians answered after the break as they got a massive lift from Ivan Perisic, who scored the equalizer before Mario Mandzukic won the match with a goal in extra time. It was also the first appearance of Croatia in a World Cup final.

Lovren also praised captain Luka Modric for his stellar play in the court, citing that the Real Madrid midfielder is the best middle three player in the world. He added that Modric should win the Ballon d'Or if he leads Croatia into winning the World Cup.

Croatia Wants Revenge

Croatia hopes to carry their winning momentum this Sunday as they look to exact sweet revenge against France. The Frenchmen broke the hearts of Croatia when they beat the latter in the semifinal round 20 years ago.

Lovren, who played in six of Croatia's matches in this year's tournament, said that making it to the World Cup finals alone is a moment they will never forget. The 29-year-old Lovren concluded that he hopes to make the most of their chance to do better this Sunday.

The Les Bleus has been nothing short of phenomenal in this year's tournament thanks to the heroics of Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe. Sports pundits believe that the French trio will pose a great deal of danger for the Croatians. Earlier in this tournament, Mbappe made history when he became the one of the youngest goalscorers in the history of the World Cup.