Why the away goals rule no longer counts in Europe

In June 2021, Uefa competitions removed away goals.

The Uefa Club Competitions Committee and the Uefa Women’s Football Committee both made recommendations, which led to the rule change.

knockout ties in Europe that end with penalties and extra time on both legs.

Aleksander Ceferin, the president of Uefa, questioned the rule’s fairness and said it discouraged home teams from attacking, especially in the first legs.

Since its introduction in 1965, the away goals rule has been a fundamental component of Uefa competitions, according to Ceferin.

The impact of the rule now contradicts its original intent because it now discourages home teams from attacking, especially in first legs, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their foes a significant advantage. The unfairness of forcing the home team to score twice when the away team does so is also criticized, especially in extra time.

Home wins decreased from 61% – in the mid-1970s – to 47% in the 2020-21 season, according to Uefa.

The average home goals per game dropped from 2.01 to 1.58, respectively.

When two or more teams are tied for first place in the league phase matches, one of the factors is the absence of goals.

Some of the most dramatic away goals in the Champions League are shown below: