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What is the away goal rule in the Champions League round of 16: What happens if there’s a tie?

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The away goals rule in the Champions League has been scrapped and teams in Europe now have to approach their two-legged knockout matches with different strategies.

The rule had been in place since 1965, but it changed at the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

Now, if teams are level on aggregate goals after 180 minutes (two legs), matches go into 30 minutes of extra time.

If the sides can’t be separated after 120 minutes of play in the second leg of their Champions League knockout match, a penalty shootout will determine the winner. Here’s a further explanation on that.

How does extra time in the Champions League work?

Extra time is the first tie-breaker used if the two teams can’t be separated in a Champions League knockout match. If the teams are still level after extra time, the match goes to a penalty shootout.

In a shootout, both teams get five penalties each, with kicks taken alternately by each side. The team that scores the most penalties wins. If one side establishes an unassailable lead before one or both of the teams has taken all of its five penalties, the shootout ends. If the sides remain level after five penalties each, they take additional rounds of single sudden-death spot-kicks until one scores and the other misses.

Spurs reached the 2019 Champions League final thanks to a dramatic away-goal victory over Ajax in the semis.
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Spurs reached the 2019 Champions League final thanks to a dramatic away-goal victory over Ajax in the semis.

Remaining Champions League round of 16 second legs:

Tuesday, 12 March

  • Barcelona vs Napoli
  • Arsenal vs Porto

Wednesday, 13 March

  • Atlético vs Inter
  • Borussia Dortmund vs PSV

 

Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have already qualified for the quarter-finals.

Why are there no away goals in the Champions League?

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin pointed out how the away goals tiebreaker ran “counter to its original purpose”, adding that it discouraged teams from playing attacking Football.

“It dissuades home teams — especially in first legs — from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage,” Ceferin said.

“There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.” This reasoning led to the motion being carried that the away goals rule - meaning a goal scored away from home counted as double - would be scrapped.

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