Image Credit- BBC.
No Chelsea fan will ever forget the goal of Iniesta in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Match at Stamford Bridge. The Men in Blue were leading 1-0 till the very end of the second leg. However, from nowhere, Iniesta took a shot that turned into a match-winning goal for the men from Barcelona. The new football fans will wonder how it was a match-winning goal; after all, the score line read 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes. However, it was the away goal rule that paved the way for Barcelona's progress into the finals.
The purpose of the away goals rule, which had been in effect since the 1965–66 season, was to encourage away clubs to attack rather than just sit back and play defense. Theoretically, traveling teams had an incentive to come out of their shells and take more opportunities, which would likely result in more open matches, since they knew that away goals may be used as a tiebreaker.
However, a lot of people had been calling for the UEFA club competitions to do away with the away goals system. They contended that, particularly in the opening leg of a knockout series, the regulation was too harsh on clubs that played at home. A squad suffered a major setback in the tie when they gave up a goal at home. The inequity of forcing the home team to score twice after the away team had already done so was also criticized, particularly during extra time. It's safe to assume that home advantage isn't as important as it used to be. As, a result the UEFA decided to scrap this rule from the 2021-22 season.
However, the fans of yesteryear will always remember the drama that the away goal created. The drama added extra spice to the European tournament.
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