Goal Difference vs Head to Head - The Big Fight!

In light of the ignominious exit of one of the tournaments favorites, Russia last night, it becomes necessary to have a look at UEFA’s policy of giving preference to Head to Head record in Group Stages and Goal Difference in the League version of the sport.

Last night Greece pulled off a shock win over the Group A favorites Russia. The Russians may have imagined to have an easy outing as the game looked pretty one sided on pen and paper. But certainly Greece had other plans. The solitary goal from Karagounis was enough to defeat a resilient Russian side which had all of its famed attackers in Dzagoev, Pavluchenco and Pogrebenyak on field. Unfortunately, it was ‘head to head’ which decided their fate in their Group, instead of goal-difference.

A dejected Russian side walks past the Greece players as they get beaten by the later on ‘head to head’.

Which tie-breaker do you think is the best between the two?

Goal-difference certainly has its pros. Not only does it starkly reflect the power of a team’s attack in the form of the damage it has dealt to the other but it also reveals their defensive approach in the case of less number of goals conceded; just like in the recently concluded Barclays Premier League, where Manchester City with their star players such as Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli, Silva, Nasri helped amass a +8 goal difference over their neighbours, keeping aside the huge amount spent on these stars. Besides, it also reflects a side’s consistent performances in their league.

At this point we definitely have goal-difference getting the advantage. It measures a team over the duration of the competition and not just in random games.

Goal-difference, in my opinion, favours teams that smash the helpless minnows by a hefty scoreline. This is where head-to-head is more advantageous, giving even more excitement and importance to direct clashes. It makes sure teams don’t just rely on points table and play in a certain way to ensure their qualification. It also rewards the team that beats the other it ties with- fair and square evaluation.

So which way should we head for: Solutions

There are mixed opinions regarding this debate. Several pros and cons can be produced in favour and against these two methods. But we can also find solutions to the same. According to some of the fans, goal-difference must be promoted to encourage positive, pacy and most importantly, attacking football. Head to head must be brought in when the goal-difference of the two teams is the same and the deadlock has to be broken. Other alternatives can be penalty shoot out, which itself is under much criticism these days. And maybe a play-off match, which at times looks absurd given tournament time constraints and added expenditures on this.

Conclution:A hypothetical situation to brainstorm

Team A wins 5-0 game 1, 5-0 in game 2 and loses the 3rd game 1-0 through a 91st minute deflection.

Team B win game one 1-0 – disputed penalty, lose second game 6-0 and then beat Team A 1-0 thanks to a 91st minute deflection.

Team B goes through….Fair or Scandalous?

The author leaves it to you all. Tag your friends and leave your comments below.