In all UEFA club competition knockout games ties are contested on a two legged basis. Here each team plays one home game and one away game. According to the away goals rule in the event of a draw the team which has scored the most goals away from home is declared as the winner.
This rule supposedly builds up interest as it gives teams a chance to make a comeback in the next game. Example of this rule actually making a game interesting is the Schalke vs Real Madrid R16 match just this month where Schalke were completely outclassed at home and beaten 0-2 and then scored 4 goals away from home and won the match 3-4 losing the tie 5-4 on aggregate. However for the final 7 minutes there was on onslaught on Madrid’s goal for that solitary goal that would see the Germans through.
Schalke got a chance to have another crack at Real Madrid to rectify their miserable 1st leg. However if they had managed to win they would’ve been rewarded for just 1 good game. Even though Madrid lost the 2nd game they still did score goals in both games and played both legs well and it would be unfair to see them eliminated just because their good performance over two legs was simply outclassed by their opponents scintillating display over 1 leg.
The Arsenal vs AS Monaco game also among this years R16 matches saw Monaco who played their away leg well scoring 3 goals just completely shut off after the first 5 minutes of the second leg. Their job was to basically ensure that they do not concede a third goal and try to get 1 goal on the break leaving Arsenal having to score a grand total of 4 goals to progress . Arsenal did score two goals away and even at home were just caught out on the counter . The tie ended at 3-3 and Monaco progressed on away goals. If that rule didn’t exist the game would have gone into extra time and Arsenal surely would’ve progressed as Monaco were completely clueless in the second half.
Some other games where the away goals rule has broken the tie.
PSG vs Chelsea 2015
1st leg: PSG 1-1 Chelsea
2nd leg: Chelsea 2-2 PSG
PSG progressed on away goals after 3-3 draw
Even though Chelsea took the lead both times in the second leg it didn’t change the equation for PSG who just needed to match Chelsea’s score.
Manchester united vs Bayern Munich 2010
1st leg: Bayern Munich2-1 Manchester United
2nd leg: Manchester United3- 2 Bayern Munich
Bayern progressed on away goals after a 4-4 draw.
The 2003 UEFA Champions League Semi Final saw AC Milan take on Inter Milan and both the teams home stadium is the San Siro.
1st leg : AC Milan 0-0 Inter Milan
2nd leg: Inter Milan1-1 AC Milan
AC Milan basically approached this game with no pressure whatsoever as they knew they had to just ensure that the match ended in a scoring draw at their own stadium. The only thing in this match that differentiated between home and away team was the home dressing room which they exchanged for each game.
In the opinion of this writer the away goals abolished as teams just shut shop after winning big in the first leg and after playing out a goalless draw in the first leg the away team just plays for a scored draw in the second leg and face no pressure of scoring 2 when the home team scores 1.
Or the two legged ties should be stopped as after a first leg annihilation such as a 7-0 scoreline the second game just becomes a mere formality and a complete waste of time and taking advantage of this some players who already have a yellow card from a previous game deliberately take a yellow card so as to serve a suspension in an irrelevant game.
-Reubyn RF
This rule supposedly builds up interest as it gives teams a chance to make a comeback in the next game. Example of this rule actually making a game interesting is the Schalke vs Real Madrid R16 match just this month where Schalke were completely outclassed at home and beaten 0-2 and then scored 4 goals away from home and won the match 3-4 losing the tie 5-4 on aggregate. However for the final 7 minutes there was on onslaught on Madrid’s goal for that solitary goal that would see the Germans through.
Schalke got a chance to have another crack at Real Madrid to rectify their miserable 1st leg. However if they had managed to win they would’ve been rewarded for just 1 good game. Even though Madrid lost the 2nd game they still did score goals in both games and played both legs well and it would be unfair to see them eliminated just because their good performance over two legs was simply outclassed by their opponents scintillating display over 1 leg.
The Arsenal vs AS Monaco game also among this years R16 matches saw Monaco who played their away leg well scoring 3 goals just completely shut off after the first 5 minutes of the second leg. Their job was to basically ensure that they do not concede a third goal and try to get 1 goal on the break leaving Arsenal having to score a grand total of 4 goals to progress . Arsenal did score two goals away and even at home were just caught out on the counter . The tie ended at 3-3 and Monaco progressed on away goals. If that rule didn’t exist the game would have gone into extra time and Arsenal surely would’ve progressed as Monaco were completely clueless in the second half.
Some other games where the away goals rule has broken the tie.
PSG vs Chelsea 2015
1st leg: PSG 1-1 Chelsea
2nd leg: Chelsea 2-2 PSG
PSG progressed on away goals after 3-3 draw
Even though Chelsea took the lead both times in the second leg it didn’t change the equation for PSG who just needed to match Chelsea’s score.
Manchester united vs Bayern Munich 2010
1st leg: Bayern Munich2-1 Manchester United
2nd leg: Manchester United3- 2 Bayern Munich
Bayern progressed on away goals after a 4-4 draw.
The 2003 UEFA Champions League Semi Final saw AC Milan take on Inter Milan and both the teams home stadium is the San Siro.
1st leg : AC Milan 0-0 Inter Milan
2nd leg: Inter Milan1-1 AC Milan
AC Milan basically approached this game with no pressure whatsoever as they knew they had to just ensure that the match ended in a scoring draw at their own stadium. The only thing in this match that differentiated between home and away team was the home dressing room which they exchanged for each game.
In the opinion of this writer the away goals abolished as teams just shut shop after winning big in the first leg and after playing out a goalless draw in the first leg the away team just plays for a scored draw in the second leg and face no pressure of scoring 2 when the home team scores 1.
Or the two legged ties should be stopped as after a first leg annihilation such as a 7-0 scoreline the second game just becomes a mere formality and a complete waste of time and taking advantage of this some players who already have a yellow card from a previous game deliberately take a yellow card so as to serve a suspension in an irrelevant game.
-Reubyn RF