No need to be too wait-and-see… A goal from Karim Benzema or any other Madrid player at the Parc des Princes this Tuesday evening should not be experienced as an absolute disaster by the Parisians in anticipation of the return match. Provided, of course, that Kylian Mbappé or Lionel Messi ensure that PSG does not lose. This season, in fact, the code has changed to the European Cup, in accordance with UEFA’s wishes. The legendary goal scored away from home is no longer worth double (in the event of a tie over all the home and away matches).
For its first European knockout confrontation of the season, the team from the capital will test these new provisions once morest Real Madrid in the round of 16 this Tuesday evening and Wednesday, March 9. Provisions which alleviate the consequences of the goal(s) conceded at home, and consequently also minimize the handicap of receiving in the first leg. Except having to play an extension (2 x 15 minutes), or even a penalty shootout, on the Bernabeu lawn…
Be that as it may, the endless speculations, supported by probabilities, relating to a 3-2 victory or the 1-1 draw at home are well and truly over. To qualify, you must now score one more goal than the opponent, which does not violate the spirit of the game.
Wanted by many football players
“The away goals rule has been an integral part of UEFA competitions since its introduction in 1965,” said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, whose UEFA Executive Committee ratified the rule’s abandonment June 24. However, the question of its abolition has been discussed at various UEFA meetings over the past few years. Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, supporters and other players in football questioned its fairness and expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished. The impact of the rule now defeats its original purpose because, in effect, it now deters home teams — especially in the first leg — from attacking, as they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage. There was also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of forcing the home team to score twice when the away team put in a goal. »
Better first legs and, if necessary, a more breathless extension at the end of the second leg, UEFA score two points. And for those nostalgic for the Champions Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup or the UEFA Cup, whose childhood was rocked by the “1 = 2”, the body has one last argument in reserve.
“It’s fair to say that the home advantage isn’t as important as it used to be”
According to UEFA, the differential between home wins and away wins has shrunk considerably between the 1970s and today, dropping from 61%-19% to 47%-30% in men’s competitions. . “It’s fair to say that home advantage isn’t as important as it used to be,” Ceferin said. Considering the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which led to a declining home advantage, the UEFA executive committee made the right decision. »
In the history of PSG-Real confrontations, the Parisian team has never qualified or been eliminated thanks to an away goal, in three head-to-head matches. Not even at the end of an extension.
