Dejan Lovren answered his critics for as Croatia beat England.
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren was written off before Croatia’s World Cup semi-final with England.
Memories turned back to him being substituted off after half an hour for Liverpool against Tottenham last October, when he went head to head with Harry Kane.
Lovren bounced back later in the season, helping Liverpool reach the Champions League final.
Last night he exorcised those ghosts, helping to shut Harry Kane down as Croatia reached the World Cup final.
Lovren can have his off days – he was terrorised by Romelu Lukaku at Old Trafford in March too – but there is something to be said for a player who has reached both the Champions League final and World Cup final within three months.
The Croatia international will be hoping to emerge victorious against France in the final, and the way he helped shut Kane down will give him confidence.
He has turned the page on last October’s horror show, ensuring Harry Kane did not find the scoresheet.
Lovren will hope beyond this, that this carries into next season too and gives him a mental edge over the Tottenham striker when they meet Liverpool.
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