Extra time and away goals, explained
The two 15-minute halves that follow a draw, why golden goal was scrapped, and why UEFA abolished the famous away-goals rule.
What extra time is
In a knockout tie that is level at full time, extra time gives two more 15-minute halves — 30 minutes in total — to find a winner before a penalty shootout. Teams change ends between the halves, and it is played out in full: the first goal no longer ends it.
Golden goal and silver goal
Football once experimented with sudden-death formats in extra time. The golden goal ended the match the instant anyone scored; the silver goal ended it if a team led at the next half-time break. Both were criticised for making teams too cautious, and both were abolished in 2004. Now extra time always runs the full 30 minutes.
The away-goals rule
For decades, two-legged ties used the away-goals rule: if the aggregate score was level, the team that had scored more goals away from home advanced. It was designed to reward attacking on the road and to break ties without extra time.
Why UEFA scrapped it
UEFA abolished the away-goals rule from the 2021-22 season. The reasoning was that modern travel and conditions had eroded the disadvantage of playing away, and the rule was making home teams in the first leg oddly cautious about conceding. Now, if a European tie is level on aggregate, it simply goes to extra time and, if needed, penalties.