Liverpool and Croatia defender Dejan Lovren has insisted he is one of the best defenders in the world after his side’s 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semi-final.

England went a goal ahead after just three minutes via Kieran Trippier’s free kick, but Ivan Perisic levelled the scores with 20 minutes to go and Mario Mandzukic scored an extra-time winner for Croatia, who will now face France in the final.

It’s the first time since 1990 that the Three Lions have made the World Cup semi final, and the tournament will have left the entire country proud – however disappointed they may be to not go all the way.

However, Lovren believes that despite England’s first half dominance, the best team won.

“It’s something special for me,” Lovren told beIN Sports.

“From my point of view, people said I had a difficult season but I don’t agree.

“I took Liverpool to the final of the Champions League. Now with my national team we are in the final.

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

“It was quite tough in the first half. We couldn’t control the ball.

“They had some good chances but in the second half we did much better. We took spaces on the side and found some good crosses.

“In extra time we showed that even with fatigue we were still able to play our game.

“This is something that we will never forget. People are crying and are happy in our country now. This is something historical for us.

“We will never forget this. We beat our record from 20 years ago. We had this weight on our shoulders all the time. Now people will never forget us.

“Now we have a chance to do something even better and hopefully we can do it on Sunday.

“(Luka) Modric is the best midfield player in the world and if we win this World Cup he deserves the Ballon d’Or.”