Fabregas denies acting in Medel dismissal

Cesc Fabregas insists he did not exaggerate his reaction to Gary Medel’s alleged head-butt in Barcelona’s match with Sevilla.

The Chilean was adjudged to have knocked down the former Arsenal midfielder, changing the dynamic of the game as Barcelona capitalised on their numerical advantage by coming back from two goals down to win 3-2 in dramatic fashion.

When a journalist quizzed him about the red-card incident, Fabregas said after the match: “If you want, I’ll do to you what Medel did and you can tell me.

“I have been hit in the face and therefore it’s a straight red card. I saw a penalty in the first half that was not given and the game balanced itself out.

“There’s contact because he gets my face and in the world of football it’s the intention that matters most. There’s no reason to talk about it. In football these kind of plays are straight reds.”

The 25-year-old also commented on the visitors’ stirring comeback, and insisted that the recent criticism he has received does not faze him at all.

“We felt comfortable at all times, we dominated the match, but sometimes it can get complicated and we have to show our character – and that’s what we did,” he said.

“I’ve always been at ease, I think there are a lot of people that needed to talk, opine and write stuff but nothing is wrong.

“I’m calm because I’ve gone through rough times before and I always manage to score again. Besides, it’s much easier when you’re playing with quality players like Xavi and (Lionel) Messi.”

Barcelona must now travel to Portugal to face Benfica in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday.