Qatar 2022is part of the past now, and there’s a long way to go before the next World Cup takes place. Fortunately, the soccer community still has the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League to make the wait less boring.
While the UCL usually takes much of the attention, Europe’s second-tier competitionhas its own appeal. Especially this season, since many continental powerhouses find themselves in this tournament.
The Europa League knockout round got off to a great start with a highly anticipated clash between FC Barcelona and Manchester United. Many wonder, though, if the away goal rule is still a thing.
Do away goals rule matter in the UEFA Europa League?
UEFA removed the away goals rule from both the Champions and Europa Leaguelast season, meaning the away goals are no longer the tiebreaker when the aggregate score is level. That way, teams who concede at home don’t have to worry so much about it anymore.
Though this rule encouraged away teams to try and score instead of dropping back, it was also unfair for the team with home field advantage (if the game went to overtime, the visitors had more minutes to score). Therefore, the tiebreaker now is extra time or penalty kicks, if the draw persists after 120 minutes.
