Champions League action has been back on our screens this week and some of the groups are really starting to take shape now.
Group F, for instance, is in a very interesting state after Borrusia Dortmund beat Newcastle United to move first and leave the Magpies last, while in the same group of death, AC Milan claimed a 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain to put themselves third, just one point behind their Ligue 1 opponents who, themselves, are one point off the German’s at the top.
In Group G, however, things are considerably less complicated. Indeed, coming into the fourth game of the tournament, Manchester City topped their group with three wins from three. Second were RB Leipzig with two wins from three, while Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) and BSC Young Boys were at the bottom with just a point each.
Man City put three past BSC Young Boys
Pep Guardiola and his men were able to pick up another three points in their most recent game as they cruised past Young Boys in what turned out to be a comfortable evening. Erling Haaland netted a brace while Phil Foden also got his name on the scoresheet. Elsewhere, RB Leipzig beat Crvena zvezda to keep themselves in touching distance of City.
Ahead of that game at the Etihad, pundit Rio Ferdinand found himself on enemy territory on his birthday. Indeed, the former Manchester United defender was with TNT Sports covering the fixture. Having played against the Cityzens 27 times over the course of his career, beating them 13 times, drawing four, and losing the other ten, it’s fair to say the former Red Devil was a real adversary over the course of his career.
Still, it seems as though any major animosity towards him from those on the blue side of Manchester has softened in the years since his retirement. After all, with Ferdinand on site for his birthday, the club’s kitchen staff decided to make him a cake. Even so, they did cheekily decorate the gift with light blue icing and the Man City crest.
As you can see in theTNT Sports footagebelow, the former England international didn’t seem too pleased when he was presented with the cake. As it was placed in front of Ferdinand and his co-hosts Laura Woods and Julian Lescott, it actually started to slide off the table and had to be rescued before falling to the ground.
Ferdinand joked: “You should have let that go!” He also said: “I actually think that’s disrespectful,” before adding: “Thank you very much but it’s the wrong colour.” In the end, he took the gentle ribbing pretty well but you can tell he would have happily seen the cake end up splattered on the floor of the Etihad turf.
Never thought I would spend my birthday at the Etihad 🫣😂pic.twitter.com/HDKDHdcyZE
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) November 7, 2023