The Europa League has reached its quarter final stages following its return from the coronavirus break, with Manchester United and Wolves the only two British clubs remaining in the competition.
As always, the ties will all be played over two legs, which brings the often dramatic, and sometimes controversial away goals rule into play.
Read more: What Manchester United should expect from FC Copenhagen
Although it made little impact on last year’s competition, it had a profound effect in the Champions League, with Lucas Moura’s astonishing second-half hat-trick against Ajax clinching Tottenham’s place in the final.
Introduced to European competition in 1965, the system can change the dynamic of a tie in the blink of an eye – here’s what you need to know about it.
How does the away goals rule actually work?
Although one might often hear the phrase “away goals count double” in the Europa League, this isn’t technically true.
Instead, in every one of the two-legged knockout rounds up to the final, if the sides are level on goals after 180 minutes, the team which has scored more goals away from home qualifies for the next round.
So, if the two legs have ended in a 1-1 draw and a 2-2 draw – leaving the sides level on 3-3 – the side to progress will be the away team in the game which finished 2-2.
If the teams have scored an equal number of away goals, then the match continues into a period of extra-time comprising two 15-minute halves.
During extra-time, away goals count in exactly the same way – so if both sides have scored the same number of goals in the half-hour, the away team will progress.
The details are laid out in Article 19 of UEFA’s official rules and regulations for the competition:
Article 19.01 – Away goals rule
For matches played under the knockout system, if the two teams involved in a tie score the same number of goals over the two legs, the team which scores more away goals qualifies for the next stage.
If this procedure does not produce a II – Competition System 23 result, i.e. if both teams score the same number of goals at home and away, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played at the end of the second leg.
If both teams score the same number of goals during extra time, away goals count double (i.e. the visiting team qualifies for the next stage).
If no goals are scored during extra time, kicks from the penalty mark determine which team qualifies for the next stage.
Europa League draw – in full
- Wolves vs Espanyol
- Sporting Lisbon vs Istanbul Basaksahir
- Getafe vs Ajax
- Bayer Leverkusen vs Porto
- Copenhagen vs Celtic
- APOEL vs Basel
- Cluj vs Sevilla
- Olympiacos vs Arsenal
- AZ vs LASK
- Club Brugge vs Manchester United
- Ludogorets vs Inter Milan
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs Red Bull Salzburg
- Shakhtar Donetsk vs Benfica
- Wolfsburg vs Malmo
- Roma vs Gent
- Rangers vs Braga
Could the away goals rule be scrapped?
Although the rule can lead to moments of huge drama, with ties decided late into the second leg with a strike from the away team, it also has its critics.
In 2015, Arsene Wenger (whose Arsenal side had just been eliminated by Monaco on away goals), suggested that the rule was out of date, saying: “The rule was created in the 1960s and the weight of the away goal is too great today.”
He received the backing of many of Europe’s top managers last September, when he joined a meeting including the likes of Jose Mourinho, his Gunners successor Unai Emery and Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri.
The coaches requested that UEFA review use of the rule, arguing that it scared home teams into negative tactics to avoid conceding as much as encouraging positivity from the visitors.
Giorgio Marchetti, the governing body’s deputy general secretary, acknowledged: “The coaches think that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the past. They think the rule should be reviewed and that’s what we will do.”
Despite some unverified reports suggesting UEFA is ready to scrap away goals, there has been no official confirmation as yet that the rule will be changed.
How do away goals work in other competitions?
The away goals rule applies to UEFA’s Champions League in exactly the same way as it does the Europa League.
In England, it was introduced to the League Cup for the 1980-81 season. Until then all ties, even if played over two legs, would be replayed if the aggregate scores were level after 180 minutes.
However, last year both away goals and extra-time were abolished, with all knock-out ties – including the semi-finals, the only round to be played across two legs – going straight to a penalty shoot-out if the scores are level.
The rule change means that no domestic competition in England now employs the away goals rule.
FA Cup ties go to a replay in the event of a draw, and if the scores are level after 90 minutes in the rematch extra-time and then penalties are employed. The same is true if the EFL Cup semi-finals, which are played over two legs, finish level on aggregate.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/30GIGqi
Post a Comment