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RB Leipzig valiantly fought back to draw Manchester City 1-1 at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. If you were watching CBS’ coverage of the game on Paramount+ then you were treated to some classic Ray Hudson commentary.
Hudson and his broadcast partner Andrés Cordero called Wednesday’s game. The plot of the 1-1 draw can be followed in some of Hudson’s funniest/weirdest quotes from the 90 minutes.
Best Ray Hudson commentary during Manchester City vs. RB Leipzig
The first half was all Manchester City. Leipzig recorded one shot in the half with their last kick of the opening 45. Meanwhile the visiting English club had 74% possession.
Hudson’s quote to describe the first half was this.
“It was almost like Manchester City were playing against their junior team in the first half.”
Despite having total control, the chances didn’t come easy for City. Star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne was left on the bench for the game and Hudson described the abilities a player like him can bring.
“De Bruyne has got that ability to pick the dandruff off a wasp’s wing from 40 yards.”
That quote about the Belgian came in the 20th minute. Seven minutes later City scored and Hudson was at his best.
When Riyad Mahrez scored in the 27th minute the commentator likened the goal to the back of silverware.
"As smooth as the back of a spoon!"
Riyad Mahrez punishes Leipzig. pic.twitter.com/tps7UtTvgd— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 22, 2023
That wasn’t all he had to say about Mahrez’s goal. When talking about the pass to the Algerian Hudson said:
“(The ball was) Slippier than a needle covered in Vaseline.”
When talking about Mahrez’s finishing abilities Hudson described it like this:
“Sharper than a porcupine’s backside.”
Later in the first half Jack Grealish had a dizzying run. Sure, Hudson could have said something lame like, “that was a good run from Grealish.” Instead he said:
“(Grealish had a) Squirrel on a telephone wire type of run.”
The half ended 1-0 in favor of City, and it looked like it was going to be an easy win.
RB Leipzig flipped the script and looked like a completely different team in the second half. The opening 20 minutes of the half saw several quality chances for the hosts that forced City goalkeeper Ederson into action.
Hudson’s quote to summarize the shift in momentum was this:
“Ederson is seeing a different kettle of sharks coming at him now.”
This one got a reaction out of Cordero who asked, “Do sharks come in a kettle?”
The chances kept coming for Leipzig as did the funny lines from Hudson. Some fans probably squirmed a little bit when Hudson described a shot like this:
“(He’s) Itching to pull his red-hot trigger.”
Leipzig’s equalizer came in the 70th minute thanks to a towering header from Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol. Hudson saves his best for the goals.
Joško Gvardiol catches Ederson dancing on his line and Leipzig are back in this one. pic.twitter.com/D1uWIRZ76p
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 22, 2023
Hudson would give two descriptions for Gvardiol’s goal:
“A big bucketful of knuckles header.”
“Gvardiol rises like the proverbial salmon from a fresh summer’s stream.”
Ilkay Gündogan would have the best chance to reclaim City’s lead but was expertly denied by Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Balswich.
A tremendous save from Janis Blaswich. pic.twitter.com/MNqTFWwB8U
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 22, 2023
The Hudson quote for the save:
“He’s grown his fingernails to get to it.”
We didn’t get any “Mageeeeeessteriallll” yells from Hudson, but it was still a humorous and entertaining 90 minutes.
City and Leipzig will play the second leg in Manchester on March 14.
