Should the Uefa Champions League Abandon the Away-Goals Rule? - By: Heikal Suhaili

At 3 o'clock in the morning, I was eager to wake up and couldn't bear to miss the Uefa Champions League semi-final between Manchester United and Arsenal. In the 2nd leg, Arsenal attacked tremendously well for the first 10 minutes but demoralised after United scored the first goal courtesy of Ji Sung Park. I then began to ponder, what if there wasn't an away goals rule, would Arsenal have continued attacking with confidence and no hesitation for the remaining 80 minutes plus stoppages? For both legs, the Skysports TV presenter Richard Keys raised a very important question; should Uefa abandon the away-goals rule?

What is an Away-Goals Rule?
The away-goals rule applies for two-legged ties in the knockout rounds like quarter-finals and semi-finals. In the event that both teams drew over two legs, the away team that scored more goals away from home goes through. So for example, if Manchester United drew against Arsenal 0 - 0 in the first leg at home, and drew again 2 - 2 in the second leg away from home. Then by the away goals rule, Manchester United are victorious over two legs and should go through.

Can the Away-Goals Rule be Good?
The good thing is it encourages the away team to score away from home which also means they have to attack against the opposing team at their home territory. Also it adds value to football as an entertainment sport. The home team would prefer to attack and score to avoid any risk and burden of having to score more goals away from home. Thus both teams are forced to attack which can only be good for both supporters.

Can the Away-Goals Rule be Bad?
On the other hand, the away team may not choose to take risk and prefer to play cautious by playing defensively and hitting the home team on the counter-attack. It often happens with teams that have high discipline in defending and efficient on the counter-attack such as the Italian teams, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Some teams like Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona prefers attacking football and holding the ball as their main form of defense. Though according to Arsene Wenger, for a team to hold the ball requires participation and strength in order to keep possession. The opposing team as a result tires easily and loses concentration which could be fatal to their overall performance.

Other Rule that could Work
Uefa could consider these rules in place of the current away-goals rule:

1. Replays
Making the knockout rounds one-legged and if both teams drew, a replay of the match shall proceed, similar to the FA Cup. The one disadvantage of this rule is the unfairness to the away team. Since it is one-legged, the team that gets to play at home first will get the advantage. The away team could aim for a draw to bring the tie back to their home advantage.

2. One-Leg Rule
Similar to the MLS ( Major League Soccer) in the US, if both teams drew, it could be sort out by extra time and penalties or maybe penalties.

Should Uefa Abandon the Away-Goals Rule?
So we are back to the original question. At the moment, the rule works perfectly for all the teams in the competition. In fact, in the last decade, the competition has brought some great memories and great disappointments for both sets of fans. A recent example was Andreas Iniesta's last minute equaliser against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2009 semi-final of the Uefa Champions League.

About the Author

Heikal Suhaili writes comprehensive articles about freestyle soccer tricks and soccer in general. Find out more in his blog at http://soccer-tricks.blogspot.com

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