Yep, you're quire right, rafaelluik. Sorry. My shortcuts, control shift/or middle click on link would have made the new tab a background tab. To make it a foreground tab, you need, as rafaelluik says, ctrl+shift+left click OR shift+middle click. That will make the new tab foreground. It's just adding the "shift" to what I had.
If you prefer an easier way, Click to Tab is a Chrome extension you might well want to try, as it's supposed to open a link that you click on in a new tab, with an option to make it a background tab.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/click-to-tab/ebicmkkcnhdiglneianohfjapmanjoek
You can always uninstall it if you're unhappy with it.
To download a Chrome extension easily, you need the Opera extension, called Download Chrome Extension, https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/download-chrome-extension-9/?display=en
or Extension Source Viewer, https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/extension-source-viewer/