Since the early 2020s in association football, the application of the away goals rule has been repeatedly scrutinized and ultimately abolished in numerous competitions.
However, unlike in example C, the competition rules don't count the away goals in extra time, and the match will progress to a penalty shootout.
Originally, the away goal rule was introduced in football as an expedited way of doing away with playoffs or tie breakers on neutral grounds to resolve a logistical, physical and calendar problem when two teams were so closely matched the final score over the two legs remained in absolute parity, which could remain even after a third game tie breaker.
In football, at least, it can lead to a nervous first leg: the home team is unwilling to commit large numbers of players to attack to avoid conceding an away goal, whilst the away team attempts to snatch an away goal to aid them in the second leg.
[11] In the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, Bayern Munich won both round of 16 and quarter-finals on the away goal rule after drawing 4–4 on aggregate, by winning 2–1 at home and losing 2–3 away, against Fiorentina and Manchester United respectively.
[15][16][17] The away goals rule was applied in many football competitions that involve two-leg fixtures, including the knockout stages of the CAF Champions League, CAF Confederation Cup, and any two-legged playoffs in qualification for the FIFA World Cup or European Championships.
In the 2019 MLS season, two-legged ties were eliminated in favour of a single-elimination knockout format throughout the entire playoffs.
In CONMEBOL competitions before 2005, for example the Copa Libertadores, neither away goals rule nor extra time were used.
In Latin America, an example of a tournament that used the away goal rule was the Copa do Brasil (Brazil Cup) until the 2017 edition.
The Football League Cup semi-finals, when previously played over two legs, would apply the away goals rule only after extra time.
[20] The away goals rule is sometimes used in round-robin competitions (that is, leagues or qualifying groups), where it may be used to break ties involving more than two teams.
[24] In Group C of the UEFA Champions League 2000–01, Olympique Lyonnais took the second qualifying spot ahead of Olympiacos on head-to-head away goals.
[25] Because other tiebreakers take precedence, the away goals rule is rarely invoked in such tournaments; for example World Cup qualification.
[31] On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all club competitions from the 2021–22 season.
In this example, as in many such cases, most tickets for each leg will be reserved for the "home" side's fans, so the designation was not totally arbitrary.
This fixture had the following scorelines: Since the teams were now level 6–6 on aggregate, the Dutch referee Laurens van Raavens ordered a penalty shootout, which Sporting won 3–0.
[18] For example, the semifinal of the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League between Cruz Azul and the Puerto Rico Islanders had the following scorelines: Since CONCACAF does not apply the away goals rule for goals scored in extra time, the game went to a penalty shootout, which Cruz Azul won 4–2.
A similar situation occurred in the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, in the second leg of Seattle Sounders FC vs Portland Timbers.
Celtic lost their away tie to Legia Warsaw 4–1 in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.
In their home leg, Legia brought on an ineligible player which automatically gave Celtic a 3–0 win.
[4][7] Both legs of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League round of 16 contest between Porto and Juventus were played without fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.