Away Goals

It's getting to that time of year where we'll be seeing more and more two-legged football matches, so now seems like the ideal time to debate something that it's unbelievable UEFA haven't put right after so many years!

I don't want to explain in too much detail in case its something people reading have already picked up on, but it's amazing how many people I've told and they haven't ever noticed, so here goes!

If the aggregate score of a European tie is level after 180 minutes, and each side has scored an equal number of away goals, a further 30 minutes are played. If both sides score an equal number of goals within the additional 30 minutes, keeping the aggregate score level, then the away side goes through, having scored more away goals than the opposing team. HOWEVER (and this is the important bit) the team that played its away leg last had 120 minutes in which to score away goals, where the other team only had 90 minutes.

Am I right or am I right?

You are right. It's an anomaly that never seems to have been addressed. It is clearly an advantage for the away team in the 2nd leg but I can't remember an occasion when this actually happened.

If it did then I am sure the losing home team would raise the issue as an unfair advantage.

I think Athletico Madrid did it at Anfield a year or two back, RT.

I'll take your word for it. I am surprised the scousers didn't complain because they always seem to be the victims.

I guess the advantage goes to the seeded team - and in away they have probably earned it through past results.

Better than a flip of a coin though - although you might be too young to remember that method Doff.

I'd rather things were settled on away goals than penalties.

For years I have argued that before any tie where there is a possibility of a penalty shoot out, the penalties should be taken before kick off. Then whoever won that shootout is only used after 120 or 180 minutes if the scores are still level. That way the fans get some extra entertainment, the players aren't vilified if they miss a penalty, the penalties are taken with much less pressure, and football is used to decide who wins in more cases. If you lose the penalties you either have a full game + extra time to put it right and win, or you have 2 full legs of a cup tie.

Has this rule always been in the League cup or is it a new thing that they have just introduced to the competition?



I am not a fan of the away goals thing really, why should you benefit from scoring away from home?

The rule in the League Cup Semi Final has always been even dafter. Away goals aren't taken into consideration until 210 minutes in the League Cup, where in Europe its 180.

People think of matches being decided over penalty shoot outs as being just as well as ones decided over toss of a coin, but at least with the toss of a coin (if you think of it like that - I personally don't), neither side has a blatant mathematical advantage.

aaron, away goals were first introduced in european competition to stop away sides just turning up and parking the bus in the first leg for a 0-0 draw.

It was considered that whoever was drawn at home in the first leg had too big a disadvantage because this was a common mentality.

Il Padrino wrote:aaron, away goals were first introduced in european competition to stop away sides just turning up and parking the bus in the first leg for a 0-0 draw.

Hmm makes sense I suppose, I bet the Italians hated it when they introduced the rule.

I love a penalty shoot out.

I reckon that the players have had long enough to get it sorted before a penalty shoot out comes into the equation and if players don't like it they should adopt the mentality that they are losing in the last five minutes of the game and maybe then they'd put more effort in.