Ex-Liverpool star Dejan Lovren has admitted to elbowing Sergio Ramos as revenge for a foul on Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final.
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Liverpool were left facing an uphill battle after top scorer Mohamed Salah had to be withdrawn in the first half following a clash with Ramos.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.”
