Do away goals count in Europa League as double? Many have asked as Manchester United and Arsenal embark on the Round of 16.
For a number of years, UEFA competitions ruled that goals scored away from home would be worth more, should the scoreline be level after both legs have been played.
For instance, a 2-2 draw between Manchester United and Barcelona after both legs would see Barcelona go through if they scored their two goals at Old Trafford, but the Red Devils only scored one inside the Camp Nou.
So, does that rule still apply? Let’s take a look…
Do away goals count in Europa League?
Well, this particular rule was examined by UEFA in June 2021.
Following the recommendation from the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the UEFA Women’s Football Committee, it was decided that the away goals rule would be removed from the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
Therefore, away goals are no longer more valuable than any other goal in UEFA competitions – if the scoreline is level after both legs have been played, then we will witness extra-time and penalties.
Why was the away goal rule scrapped?
Aleksander Čeferin – President of UEFA – has already spoken about why he eventually decided to approve the recommendation that the away goal rule was removed.
As seen on UEFA’s official website, the 55-year-old said: “The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams – especially in first legs – from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.
“There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.”
We can understand why UEFA decided to remove this rule, and hopefully, it does result in more entertaining encounters between some of Europe’s biggest clubs – this season and beyond.
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