Jurgen Klopp took his Liverpool side to Kiev for a European showdown against Real Madrid two years ago.

The Merengue lifted the famous trophy for the 13th time after running out 3-1 winners, with a Karim Benzema goal and a Gareth Bale brace cancelling out Sadio Mane’s effort for the Reds.

Liverpool were left facing an uphill battle after top scorer Mohamed Salah had to be withdrawn in the first half following a clash with Ramos.

The Madrid captain appeared to haul the Egyptian to the ground as they both tangled for possession, which left the striker nursing a serious shoulder injury.

Later that year, Lovren came face to face with Ramos again as Croatia beat Spain 3-2 in a UEFA Nation’s League encounter.

The 31-year-old defender threw an elbow at the Madrid star during the match, for which he received a one-match ban, and took to social media after the final whistle to rub salt in his rival’s wounds.

“I elbowed him good. Haha! 3-2! Go ahead and talk now buddy. Buddy!” Lovren said on Instagram.

The former Liverpool centre-half, who moved to Zenit Saint Petersburg earlier this summer, has now confirmed that his actions were intentional, telling Egyptian TV channel Sada El Balad: “I deliberately hit Ramos after hurting Salah? Yes, this is possible.

“Luka Modric tried to reduce the tension between me and Ramos, and we were facing Spain together with the Croatian national team, and I deliberately hit him with my elbows and told him that we have drawn now.

“I respect Ramos as a player and what he does for his team. He has won a lot of titles, but on the other hand, he does some behaviour that I do not like and harm the players.

“I do not want to make a big story, but I think that what Ramos did was intentional to injure my friend, so it was time to pay for what he has done.

“We were playing much better than Real Madrid before Salah was injured in the Champions League final. His exit was a big blow for us, after his exit, they began to dominate the match.”

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The Croatia international has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield, with Joe Gomez and Joel Matip having been preferred as Virgil van Dijk’s centre back partner at various points this season.

And Lovren could be set to depart Liverpool this summer, with Italian trio Roma, Napoli and Milan all interested in the former Southampton man.

Roma could lose Kostas Manolas, and Napoli may be forced to sell Kalidou Koulibaly ahead of next season, so both clubs are likely to be in the market for a new central defender. Milan, meanwhile, are keen to bolster their options at the back as they prepare to return to the Champions League.

Lovren has made 166 appearances for Liverpool since his £20-million transfer in 2014, and although he still has another two years to run on his contract, the Reds are prepared to let him go this summer.

Jurgen Klopp’s side take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as they attempt to keep hold of top spot in the Premier League.

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Lovren was one of just two players retained in Klopp’s starting XI from last Thursday’s defeat to Premier League title rivals Manchester City, but he pulled up during the early stages at Molineux.

It meant 16-year-old Dutch defender Ki-Jana Hoever was introduced, becoming Liverpool’s youngster ever FA Cup player.

Hoever played alongside defensive midfielder Fabinho at the heart of Klopp’s defence as goals from Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves saw Wolves through, and the youngster’s countryman Virgil van Dijk is now the Reds’ only fit senior centre-back, while Joe Gomez (broken leg) and Joel Matip (fractured collarbone) remain in rehabilitation.

Speaking at a post-match news conference, Klopp insisted Lovren’s selection had not been a risk and rebuffed any suggestions that his much-changed side suggested a lack of respect for the FA Cup.

‘[It is his] hamstring, is what I heard – without any signs before. I asked everybody, no signs, nothing, just out of the blue, so that’s the decision you have to make.

‘I am not sure what you all would have said if immediately from the beginning our centre-half situation was Fabinho and Ki-Jana; then probably a few very smart people would tell me that I don’t respect the competition or whatever.

‘So, we tried to do all the things [we could]. Of course, on the other hand it doesn’t make sense to bring in a 16-year-old boy from the start. You don’t bring him, you wait until he is completely ready, but he did well. He came on and did well.

‘That’s how it sometimes starts – when you are really needed, then it is only about if you are good enough and not how old you are. He did well, so that was all okay.’

Klopp said he was unsure at this stage over the amount of time Lovren was facing on the sidelines, while at the weekend he told reporters Gomez and Matip were progressing, but were a few days away from returning to training.

‘[Joe is] getting better, it’s getting better, but he is not yet involved,’ he said.

‘Joel is maybe a bit closer, I’m not sure, but hopefully he moves completely normal. We have to see how the bone healing is, that’s always how it is when something [has] broken, but from his movements it looks nearly normal.

‘But there are still a few days to go until we can have them in team training, until [Joel] is ready for contact, which for a centre-half is pretty important. Until then we will make all the fitness work.

‘The good thing is Joel can do all the fitness work already since a week or so ago, so that means when he will be back he will be 100% fit. Then he has to get rhythm and everything will be fine.’

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Paisley and Shankly have between them won nine league titles and three European Cups during the club’s golden era, but Klopp has beaten them both to 100 wins in all competitions.

A 4-0 Boxing Day thumping of Newcastle United at Anfield stretched Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League to six points in Klopp’s 181st game in charge.

Shankly took 186 matches to get to 100 wins, while Paisley was three games quicker to the landmark, but there are two men who have beaten Klopp’s record.

Rafael Benitez, whose Newcastle side were coincidentally beaten in Klopp’s 100th win, got to three figures in just 174 matches in charge of the Anfield club.

But the best record of all Liverpool managers in this regard belongs to the great Kenny Dalglish, who brought up his 100th win as Reds boss after just 159 matches in all competitions.

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The Liverpool centre-back played his part in keeping England striker Harry Kane quiet at Luzhniki Stadium as Zlatko Dalic’s side bounced back from Kieran Trippier’s fifth-minute opener to win 2-1 in extra time.

With a place in the final secured after a 2017-18 season in which Liverpool reached the Champions League final despite criticisms of their defensive weaknesses, Lovren feels a point had been proven about his quality as a player.

READ: Can Croatia cement their spot as the ‘Golden Generation?

‘I heard people saying I had a difficult season but I don’t agree with that,’ the 29-year-old told BeIN SPORTS.

‘I took Liverpool to the final of the Champions League and now with my national team, we are in the [World Cup] final.

‘I think people should recognise that I am one of the best defenders in the world and not just talk nonsense.’

Lovren also called for Croatia teammate Luka Modric to receive the highest individual award in world football, the Ballon d’Or.

The Real Madrid star has captained Croatia to their first World Cup final, improving on the country’s previous best performance at the tournament in 1998, when they finished third.

READ MORE: French stars dominate WC Team of the Semi-Finals

Lovren said: ‘This is something we will never forget. People are crying, they are happy in our country. This is something historic for us. People will never forget us.

‘It was quite tough first half, we couldn’t control the ball and they had some chances, but in the second half, we did much better. In extra time we showed that we are still able with the fatigue to play our game.

‘Modric is not one of the best, [he is] the best midfield player in the world and if we win this World Cup he deserves the Ballon d’Or.’

READ MORE: Lloris wants France to learn from Euro 2016 heartbreak

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The Red Devils’ hopes of securing their maiden World Cup title came crashing down following a 1-0 defeat against Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus outfit.

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The semi-final clash saw two world-class squads go against one another, each of whom knew each other all too well due to the players being pitted against each other week-in and week-out in La Liga, Ligue 1 and Premier League to mention a few.

Boasting the likes of Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku to mention a few, the Belgians had the tag ‘Golden Generation’ thrust upon them long before a ball was even kicked in Russia.

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A similar story with Croatia, who were touted to topple their legendary 1998 predecessors, with the likes of Dejan Lovren, Ivan Perišić, Ivan Rakitić, Luka Modric and Mario Mandžukić leading the current crop of players. The difference between Belgium and Croatia being that the latter have thus far succeeded in their quest in living up to the status of the greatest generation of footballers that the country has ever had.

Depending on a team’s mental strength and their standing in world football, these comparisons often do more damage than good. Or on the flip side – it can propel the opposition, either way – it benefits the opposition.

Take England and France for example. Looking at the last four World Cups that they played in, both the Three Lions and Les Bleus were among the firm favourites (with star-studded sides) to win the title from the offset, but they underachieved horribly (barring France in 2006).

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There is inevitably a psychological block which comes with being labeled favourites or the golden generation. The pressure of living up to the tag must surely linger in players’ heads and not everybody is able to thrive under these conditions. A make-or-break situation if you like.

This as opposed to playing with no expectation or going into a clash with the ‘David” tag against a ‘Goliath’ opponent, something which was evident in the 2018 World Cup semi-final matches.

It’s not that France, who boast one  of the younger squads at the tournament are punching above their weight, it’s that they are playing without pressure, which comes from the expectations placed on them by external influences.

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Obviously, there are other more pertinent factors to Belgium and England’s elimination – Roberto Martinez being tactically outwitted in addition to the individual brilliance of Modric, Perisic and Mandzukic. The other one

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There’s a lingering sense that Belgium could have gone all the way. Who knows what could have happened minus the talks of a golden generation?

Croatia, have proven to be the exception to the seemingly dreaded golden generation rule and provided they go all the way and lift the title – there story of success will go onto be documented for decades to come.

Just don’t be mistaken and think it’s the norm.

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England made an electric start with Kieran Trippier’s early goal and for a large period of the game looked good value to book their passage to the final for the first time since 1966, but Croatia somehow battled through their apparent jadedness and tamed the Three Lions, Mandzukic landing the decisive blow.

Gareth Southgate consistently downplayed the euphoria in his team in the build-up, and for a while England gave every indication they were going to take charge of their own destiny, as Trippier found the net with a delightful free-kick in the fifth minute.

But Croatia rallied and gave England’s back three more of an examination upon the start of the second period, eventually restoring parity – Ivan Perisic providing a clever finish in the 68th minute.

England managed to hang on to force an extra 30 minutes and initially looked the more threatening of the two teams once again in the additional period.

But Croatia kept their focus and Mandzukic struck left-footed in the 109th minute, ending England’s dreams for another four years and setting up a final with France on Sunday, as Zlatko Dalic’s men move another step closer to a first World Cup title.

England’s start was emphatic, as they swiftly put Croatia on the back foot through a driving Dele Alli run, which Luka Modric had to stop on the edge of the area by fouling the Tottenham star.

And from the resulting free-kick, Alli’s Spurs team-mate Trippier sumptuously found the top-right corner.

Croatia did their confidence little good in the 22nd minute when Danijel Subasic’s poor kick went straight to Raheem Sterling, who found Harry Kane, but he ultimately shot wide after straying offside.

There was promise for England again soon afterwards, though Kane struck the post from close range and was adjudged – seemingly incorrectly – to be offside following Alli’s incisive pass.

Although they saw more of the ball, Dalic’s side initially struggled to offer a significant improvement after half-time and England had a penalty shout turned down just after the hour – Domagoj Vida getting a slight touch on the ball before sending Sterling tumbling.

Finally things came together for Croatia at the other end soon after, as Perisic met Sime Vrsaljko’s deep cross with a flying left-footed finish.

And they nearly went ahead with their next attack – Perisic slamming against the right-hand post before Ante Rebic put the rebound into Jordan Pickford’s hands.

A late Croatia onslaught was unable to complete the turnaround and England stepped things up again in extra-time, almost retaking the lead when John Stones had a header cleared off the line by Vrsaljko in the 98th minute.

Pickford was similarly heroic at the other end, denying Mandzukic at point-blank range after the striker met Perisic’s cross.

But Mandzukic came out on top soon after the break, latching on to Perisic’s headed pass and sending a left-footed effort across Pickford to find the bottom-right corner, securing Croatia a return to the Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday for the final.

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Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban helped Croatia to a stunning third-placed finish France 20 years ago, and the 2018 class – after years of promise – stand on the cusp of emulating that side but must first negotiate Saturday’s clash against hosts Russia in Sochi.

There has been plenty of talk about the past and current generation since Croatia arrived in Sochi and Liverpool defender Lovren told reporters: ‘Of course the team respects the generation of 1998. They have made the biggest success of the national team so far.

‘They have set the bar so high that in 20 years, the national team hasn’t managed to top it.

‘However, the team are very good at the moment. We have a chance to outdo the 1998 generation with luck and hard work.’

READ MORE: Moggi: Ronaldo has already joined Juventus

Croatia are considered a dark horse to win the tournament but it has not been all plain sailing for the Balkan nation following a difficult qualifying campaign.

Ante Cacic was sacked on the eve of Croatia’s final qualifying match in October and replaced by Zlatko Dalic, who guided the team past Greece in a two-legged play-off to reach the World Cup.

‘What happened in the qualifiers is that we made our lives difficult even though we started off well,’ Croatia and Atletico Madrid star Sime Vrsaljko added.

‘We achieved our goal to qualify, however. We are playing good football at the World Cup now. Dalic came in a difficult moment and did what was asked of him.’

READ MORE: The year of the underdog?

This story first appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za

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Modric takes the corner and Etebo scores an own goal #CRONGA #SSFootball #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Ipd5Kw4qEw

— Goal Playerz (@GoalPlayerz) June 16, 2018

Photo: Getty Images

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Lovren featured in an international friendly for Croatia against Brazil at Anfield, where second-half goals from Neymar and Roberto Firmino gave the Selecao a 2-0 win.

The Croatia defender said it was nice to be well-received by fans on his first return to Liverpool since the Real Madrid defeat and he hopes his nation can match the Premier League club’s run.

‘Maybe Bobby [Firmino] had a better reception than me, but I was quite satisfied at the end with the supporters,’ he said.

‘There were a lot of Croatian fans. It was good to be back, although in a different shirt.

‘We liked to surprise a few in the Champions League and now [we hope for the same] with the national team.’

Despite the defeat, Lovren is optimistic that Croatia can perform well in Russia, where they face Argentina, Iceland and Nigeria in Group D.

‘I think in the first half we did quite good, we had chances and they didn’t,’ he said.

‘When you look at the result it looks bad, but the most important thing at the end is that everyone is fit and now we prepare for the next friendly.

‘We still have 13 days to catch our form and I believe we can pass the group.’

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