UEFA has decided to shake things up a bit by scrapping the away goal rule from the Champions League, Women's Champions League and Europa League as of next season.
The "away goals count double" system, used in European competition since 1965, will be replaced by simple extra time and penalties to settle all two-legged ties. It will also apply to the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League.
Indeed, the away goal rule was introduced by UEFA for the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965–66 to encourage teams to use caution in the air and to hunt goals in the away legs after defensive performances by visiting teams. To be.
The rule is considered "no longer appropriate" by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, who explained that any perceived "domestic advantage" that once existed is now due to the condition of the pitch, stadium infrastructure and new assistive technology such as large The reason for the progress on the scale is not significant. War.
All well and good, but when you think about all the memorable away-goal drama you've seen in the Champions League knockout stages, you can't help but wonder if we're still in awe, tension. There will be such incredible moments and chaos.
Here are some of the best moments that would not have happened under the new system.
Andres Iniesta, Barcelona v Chelsea, 2009
#OnThisDay
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 6, 2019
🔟 years since this moment ... 😍
💭 How did you experience the Iniestazo?
🎩 @andresiniesta8 pic.twitter.com/IfzXXB3Qf9
In one of the most famous "away goal" moments in modern European football history, Iniesta figuratively ousted Chelsea in stoppage time at the end of the 2009 semi-final.
After a goalless draw in the first leg at the Camp Nou, the Blues looked set for a second consecutive final against Manchester United when Michael Essien put them ahead at Stamford Bridge in just nine minutes.
Gus Hiddink's side fought tooth and nail to thwart wave upon wave of Barca attacks, while Chelsea saw several penalty claims rejected by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Overebo.
With tension on the pitch almost unheard of, Iniesta waited until the 93rd minute to issue his special strike, sending Barca through away goals while passing Petr Sech from 20 yards for the first time. .
Familially, this all proved to be too much for Didier Drogba, who suffered a slight meltdown after the final whistle in the general direction of Overebo and his assistants.
Lucas Moura, Tottenham Hotspur vs Ajax, 2019
📅 #OTD last year, Spurs produced THAT dramatic comeback to reach the final..
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2020
😱 Ajax 2-0 Tottenham (Agg 0-3)
🤯 Ajax 2-3 Tottenham (Agg 3-3*)#UCL | #OnThisDay | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/PAZsnAsjn0
After a 1–0 loss to Ajax at home in the first leg of the 2019 Champions League semi-final, things soon turned bleak for Spurs when Matthijs de Ligt extended Ajax's aggregate lead within the first five minutes of the second leg in Amsterdam. doubled.
Hakim Ziyech added another for the Dutch side shortly before half-time, leaving Spurs behind by three goals on aggregate and down the barrel of a humiliating elimination.
It was at that moment that Lucas Moura felt a sudden surge of supernatural lightning coming through his veins and the Brazilian rose from the smoldering ashes with a stunning second-half hat-trick that shattered the young hearts of Ajax.
The decider came in the 96th minute, with Moura leading his side in their first ever Champions League final, which was away amid sheer uproar.
Fernando Llorente, Tottenham vs Manchester City, 2019
Moura's heroics against Ajax was the second time Tottenham had similarly beaten Man City in the quarter-finals, with Tottenham benefiting from the away goals rule.
Spurs won the first leg 1-0 in north London and found themselves 3-2 down on the night after just 21 minutes of the second leg at the Etihad - the fastest five goals ever in a Champions League match.
City then went 4–3 on aggregate when Sergio Aguero scored at the hour mark, only for Fernando Llorente to bundle one from his hip and sideways to level away Spurs at 4–4 with away goals. But carried on.
However, there was one last twist in the story as Raheem Sterling scored a dramatic late win for City with his hat-trick goal in the 93rd minute - only for VAR to intervene and rule that Aguero was millimeters offside at the build. -Up and remove it from the record.
Thus it was Llorente's pelvic effort that proved decisive in a throbbing night that exhausted every spectator the entire time.
Kostas Manolas, AS Roma vs Barcelona, 2018
🎂 Happy birthday Kostas Manolas!
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 14, 2019
The @OfficialASRoma defender turns 2⃣8⃣ today! 🇬🇷
Celebrate with THAT goal vs Barcelona. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/BU3BCVXCsV
Reaching the quarter-finals of the 2018 Champions League, Roma were overturned by Barcelona in the first leg as they were beaten 4–1 at the Camp Nou. Although it seemed quite insignificant at the time, Edin Dzeko's 80th-minute consolation goal soon proved to be worth its weight in gold.
Against all odds, Gialorosi rallied in the second leg and scored two unanswered goals, making him just one goal shy of making an extraordinary comeback.
The stage was set and sure enough, with only eight minutes remaining, central defender Costas Manolas flexing his neck muscles scored a crucial third goal, which sent Barca packing and Roma into the semi-finals.
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United vs PSG, 2019
🔴 When Marcus Rashford scored Manchester United winner in Paris... @ManUtd | #UCL pic.twitter.com/lRkRIEMSK6
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 20, 2020
Given that United were beaten 2–0 in the first leg of 16 at Old Trafford, some saw interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the furthest chance to reverse the scoreline in the second leg against PSG.
However, United defied critics by producing a resurgent performance in Paris, with Romelu Lukaku scoring twice on either side of Juan Bernat's goal to bring the total back to 3–2. Then, with 94 minutes on the clock, Solskjaer's side was gifted a penalty for a fairly controversial handball decision.
With the hoarseness of the Boos, Rashford kept his spirits up, driving home a spot kick and knocking PSG out of the competition in the final minute of the game.
The cameras of an injured Neymar sitting in the stands were immediately cut and the Brazilian would later announce the penalty decision on social media.