Does the away-goal rule still hold relevance in European competition?

Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League this season yet again on away goals

The Champions League knockout stages have always ignited the debate on whether having the away goal rule is still relevant to today’s competition. This is an especially hot topic in the British media this season, considering that two of the English teams, Arsenal and Chelsea, got knocked out thanks to the away goal rule, and as a result, there is no English representation in the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition.

Whenever a team gets knocked out, not because it lost, but because of a rule that places more emphasis on the number of goals scored by the away team, you can hear the managers and the players complaining about the injustice of it all. After all, if both teams have been tied for goals, it is only fair that both teams get a chance to make it right, in which case penalties seem to be the fairest option.

Why the Away-goal rule was introduced in Champions League

A look back at the reason why the rule was introduced in the first place can give an understanding of the thought that went behind counting an away goal as two. The rule was put in place almost 60 years ago, at a time when the idea of a penalty shootout wasn’t even dreamed of. That would come later, when Israel were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the 1968 Olympics through a draw of lots.

But when the away goal rule was introduced, it made a lot of sense because there were quite a few problems that teams and fans had to face when they travelled to different countries to play in competitions. They did not have the financial muscle of present day clubs to afford replays and it made sense back then to have a rule where the away team, who had to play in hostile, unfriendly and unfamiliar environments, to be rewarded for scoring goals.

The rule has been carried on, all these years, despite the very successful implementation of the penalty shootout, and it was seen to be relevant even as recently as 15 years ago. But now, there has been a major shift in the way football is being played, with a lot of money invested in facilities and billionaires owning football clubs. More relevant to the discussion at hand is how clubs no longer find it a hardship to travel to other European countries to play clubs in the Champions League.

Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League without losing a game in the entire campaign

Even a cursory glance of the last few years will show that only the richer clubs have consistently made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League, and to an extent, the same can be said of the Europa League as well. Granted, the clubs participating in Europa League are not exactly going toe-to-toe with the traditional superpowers, but they are not exactly scraping the bottom of the barrel either.

How the Away-goal rule has forced teams to play on the defensive

As a result, off late, the away goal rule is being used more as a tactical manoeuvre more than anything else. Teams playing at home in the first leg do so with the intent of keeping a clean sheet and not worry about scoring a goal as they would be able to gain more leverage when they go to play in their opponent’s backyard.

All they would need to do is manage to score a goal there and then shut up shop again. Even teams that have scored a goal as the away team in the first leg go back home with the intention of defending and keeping a clean sheet in the second leg, and not with the intention to win the game.

If there were no away goal rule at the moment, Chelsea would at least have had the chance to test their luck in a penalty shootout, and it would most certainly have been a far fairer way of determining the winner than assigning more value to an effort in one match rather than considering both games as equal. Chelsea, who have not been beaten in the season’s Champions League wouldn’t have gone out in such an undeserved fashion.

Arsenal, for their herculean efforts in the away game, would at least have the opportunity for an extra 30 minutes, and if the issue wasn’t resolved, on to the penalty shootouts to determine who would go to the next round, and that would have been a lot fairer. Also, it would have made Monaco play a more adventurous game than when they decided to sit back and simply try to soak up the pressure because they had the luxury of 3 away goals.

The pros for having an away goal rule don’t hold much water in the present scenario in which the clubs operate, and surely it would be more of a spectacle to see two clubs try to fight each other rather one parrying and the other dishing out. Also, who wouldn’t like to see a good old penalty shootout every now and then?