Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in football matches contested over two legs in which a winner must be determined.
In two-legged matches, one game is played at each contestant's home ground, and the winner is determined by the aggregate score (i.e. the scores of both games are added together). If the aggregate score is tied, then under the away goals rule the team that has scored more goals away from home is declared the winner.
If both teams have scored the same number of away goals, then the second leg goes to extra time. If the score is still level overall and level on away goals after extra time, then a penalty shootout decides which team advances.
Usage
The away goals rule is applied in many football competitions that involve two-legged matches, including the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, and any two-legged playoffs used in qualification for the FIFA World Cup or European Championships.
However, not all competitions use the away goals rule. For example, before 2005, CONMEBOL used neither the away goals rule nor extra time in any of its competitions, such as the Copa Libertadores. Ties that were level on aggregate went to an immediate penalty shootout. The away goals rule (without extra time) was finally introduced to the Copa Libertadores in 2005.
In English football, two-legged matches in the League Cup are only subject to the away goals rule after extra time; even if one team leads on away goals after 90 minutes of the second leg, extra time is played regardless. The semi-finals of the promotion playoffs in the Football League, despite being two-legged, do not employ the away goals rule at all.
Notes
If the two clubs contesting a two-legged match share the same stadium, each club is designated as the home club in one leg, and the rule still applies. In 2003, AC Milan beat Internazionale on the away goals rule in a Champions League semi-final, after drawing 0-0 and 1-1, even though both legs were played in the San Siro stadium, which the two clubs share.
It is sometimes stated, even by a few football commentators, that away goals are "worth double". This is not true; an away goal is identical in value to a home goal, and only becomes an issue if the tie finishes level on aggregate.
Misinterpretation
There has been at least one case of a wrong application of the away goals rule by a referee in an international club tournament. It happened during the second-round tie in the 1971–72 Cup Winners' Cup between Rangers and Sporting Lisbon. This match had the following scorelines:
First leg:
- Rangers 3–2 Sporting
Second leg, after 90 minutes:
- Sporting 3–2 Rangers
Second leg, after extra time:
- Sporting 4–3 Rangers
Since the teams were now level 6–6 on aggregate, the referee ordered a penalty shootout, which Sporting won 3–0. However, Rangers appealed the loss on the grounds that the referee should not have ordered the shootout, since the Rangers goal in extra time in Lisbon gave them a 3–2 lead on away goals. Rangers won the appeal and went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup that season.