Rio Ferdinand left Jamie Carragher red-faced by ignoring the former Liverpool defender before the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid. Ferdinand and Carragher were both on the sidelines for Wednesday’s monumental showdown at the Etihad Stadium, eight days after the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius Junior put Carlo Ancelotti’s team ahead in the first half but Kevin de Bruyne levelled midway through the second in the Spanish capital. However, back in Manchester, it was all City as they rammed the reigning European champions 4-0 to advance to only their second Champions League final. As much as the game provided the thrills, the sidelines too had some cheeky moments.
‘Why the red face?’ – Rio Ferdinand mocks Jamie Carragher after cheeky snub
Before the game in Manchester, Ferdinand posted a video on Twitter of himself meeting the CBS Sports experts pitchside. First, the ex-Manchester United defender clasped hands with ex-City defender Micah Richards. Jamie Carragher was next in line, but Ferdinand went straight to Thierry Henry, hugging and sharing a chat with the Arsenal legend.
Jamie Carragher stood awkwardly next to Patrice Evra, who was met by Ferdinand’s BT Sport colleague Joleon Lescott. Finally, Ferdinand smiled as he approached Carragher, apparently enjoying a lighter moment at the expense of his ex-England teammate. Carragher, too, seemed to find the situation amusing, shaking Ferdinand’s hand and laughing about it.
However, Ferdinand later cheekily tweeted: “Why the red face!?” and tagged Jamie Carragher. The awkward exchange comes after Ferdinand stated that he would seek clarification on the “energy” between the two after Carragher referred to him as a “clown” for his opinion on Inter’s overturned penalty kick against AC Milan last week. Ferdinand said:
Why the red face!!?? @Carra23 ??#UCL pic.twitter.com/Hd9OsWvM0D
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) May 17, 2023
Inter will face City in the Champions League final next month after defeating arch rivals AC Milan in the semi-finals. Inter completed a 3-0 aggregate triumph with a 1-0 victory at the San Siro on Tuesday night. Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez scored the lone goal of the night, following goals from former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko and ex-Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the first leg.
Bernardo Silva stole the show as Manchester City upset Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal. Silva found space inside the area midway through the first half to put City ahead, and he doubled the advantage eight minutes later with a clever, well-placed header. Eder Militao’s own goal and Julian Alvarez’s late strike sealed Real’s humiliation.