Vinicius Jr's rocket against Man City had Rio Ferdinand going mad and repeating line from Cristiano

Vinicius Jr gave Real Madrid a spectacular lead against Manchester City, and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand loved it.

The Brazilian's rocket even had Ferdinand replicate his famous line when Cristiano Ronaldo scored against Atalanta for Manchester United.

The European champions were under the cosh for most of the first-half before they took the lead in extraordinary circumstances.

After some brilliant play from Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius found himself in the centre of the pitch.

And driving at Ruben Dias, he let loose a fierce strike that Ederson could only grasp at as the ball flew into the top corner.

In the BT Sport studio, Rio Ferdinand burst into life and could not contain his excitement at the strike.

"Vinicius Jr," he bellowed. "This is what he does! The difference! The difference! Soul snatcher, he's a soul snatcher! Wow!"

It was a reminder of the occasion in November 2021 when Man United took on Atalanta in the Champions League group stage, which finished 2-2.

Ronaldo scored both goals, the last being in stoppage time to earn the Red Devils a vital point in Italy.

Ferdinand was again in the BT Sport studio, when he uttered the now-immortal phrase "This is what he does!", which has since gone viral and become a meme.

"He's smacked it past the goalkeeper before he could even move," Stuart Pearce said on commentary for talkSPORT.

It gave Real Madrid the lead against the run of play, having been camped in their own half for much of the contest.

The strike is Vinicius Jr's 15th in the Champions League, meaning he's moved ahead of fellow Brazilian Ronaldo.

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But City responded well in the second half and levelled when Kevin de Bruyne smashed one into the bottom corner from outside the box.

With unbelievable power, the Belgian beat his compatriot after letting loose with a shred of space.

It gives City a vital goal ahead of the second leg set to go ahead at the Etihad next Wednesday, giving them a slight advantage.

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