Croatia defender Dejan Lovren celebrates with teammates after a 2-1 extra-time win over England in the World Cup semi-finals. EPA
Croatia defender Dejan Lovren celebrates with teammates after a 2-1 extra-time win over England in the World Cup semi-finals. EPA
Croatia defender Dejan Lovren celebrates with teammates after a 2-1 extra-time win over England in the World Cup semi-finals. EPA
Croatia defender Dejan Lovren celebrates with teammates after a 2-1 extra-time win over England in the World Cup semi-finals. EPA

Croatia's Dejan Lovren: I have proved I am one of the best defenders in the world


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Dejan Lovren was ebullient, bullish.

Croatia had survived falling behind, supposed fatigue and a third successive extra time to put away England and progress to the World Cup final. A first World Cup final in the country’s short history.

They won 2-1 at the Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday, a mighty effort in Moscow when for 45 minutes the tournament seemed simply to have caught up with them. But Mario Mandzukic caught England napping, scored late, late on, and Croatia were through.

Up against a better-rested side and the spectre of their 1998 bronze-medal predecessors, they found a way. Afterwards, captain Luka Modric rounded on the English media, saying they had underestimated Croatia; right-back Sime Vrsaljko labelled England a long-ball side. Croatia were obviously stung by perceived criticism. Lovren continued the theme.

“It feels incredible, especially after everything that was said about us before the game," said the Liverpool centre-back, himself used to having detractors. “We showed our character, we showed that we deserved to be in the final and people should respect us.

“Before this game they said we are tired, but we showed in extra time we had fresher legs than them. Simple as that. Not just the English press, I am saying from the beginning.

“It is just sometimes it is unfair. Like in my case when you are talking about me. People should respect me also. But from today everyone in Croatia and around the world thinks that we managed to make history today. It is special history when you look back and see three times 120 minutes and we had fresher legs than that England team.”

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Asked what the difference between the two sides was, Lovren replied: “Mentally. Because we knew we could write history today and we did it. Now there is only one game left to make it for ever. In 20 years’ time, people will remember us, and not just the team from 1998. This is what I wanted. This is why I am proud. You deserve this."

On Sunday, Lovren will contest a World Cup final against France less than two months after participating in the Uefa Champions League showpiece with Liverpool. He was criticised heavily last season before turning around his form, but believes now he has proved to be one of the world’s best defenders.

“I think I have done that, without being arrogant,” said Lovren, who defended Modric for not playing with his typical command against England. “It was fatigue. Three times in 10 days 120 minutes, it is not so easy. Modric showed today that he is the No 1 midfielder in the world.”

Now France stand between Croatia and football’s No 1 trophy. Sunday's encounter is a repeat of the 1998 semi-final, when the French triumphed 2-1 to go on and lift the trophy on home soil.

“I was nine and I remember my mum was screaming and crying after the French game," Lovren said. "Maybe it’s our time for revenge. It's going be a tough game, it will be difficult, but we have a good chance to give them something back for 20 years ago when they reached the final and we can do it.

“France are definitely the favourites, there is no hiding that, but we like that. We love to be the underdogs from day one. [Kylian] Mbappe is one of the best wingers or strikers in the world, and his speed makes him so unpredictable. But we have played, and I have played, against the biggest players in the world and managed to keep them out. It will be a big challenge, but I believe in this team.

“I said after the Argentina group game [Croatia won 3-0] that I had a good feeling. People were mocking of us, but I felt we could do something.”

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Read more:

Richard Jolly: Handling expectation the next test for Gareth Southgate's England

Kyle Walker: England's World Cup performances have brought the nation together

World Cup 2018 final guide and predictions: Mbappe to inspire France to victory

Zlatko Dalic: Croatia will be ready for France in the World Cup final

Imperious France have all the tools to deliver a second World Cup trophy

France to use Euro 2016 heartache to spur them on to World Cup glory, says Deschamps

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Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.

Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.

For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae

 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions

There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.

1 Going Dark

A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.

2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers

A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.

3. Fake Destinations

Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.

4. Rebranded Barrels

Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.

* Bloomberg

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