The UEFA Champions League returns today as the battle to be Europe's best restarts with eight last-16 ties.
Some star-studied names encountered disappointing campaigns in the group stage. Ajax, Juventus and Barcelona all dropped down to the Europa League whilst Spanish side Atletico Madrid finished bottom of their group to crash out of Europe.
Attention across the globe now diverts to the competition, with fine margins the differences over the two-legged ties. Today, AC Milan welcome Antonio Conte's Tottenham to the San Siro while PSG face a tricky tie against 2020 winners Bayern Munich.
READ MORE: Chelsea make late emergency Champions League squad change due to injury amid Joao Felix call
Tomorrow sees Chelsea travel to Borussia Dortmund before a replay of last year's final takes place between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The journey to Istanbul starts here, with the final set to take place on June 10.
However, in previous years, the most famous moments in knockout football have occurred courtesy of the away goal rule. From Andreas Iniesta’s famous goal at Stamford Bridge in 2009 to Lucas Moura’s historic hat-trick in Amsterdam, clubs have gone on to lift the prestigious trophy after scoring away goals.
Previously the away goal tiebreaker meant teams would qualify if the aggregate score finished level and they had scored more goals in the away leg than their opponent.
However, in June 2021, UEFA abolished the rule and it forced an overhaul of how teams approached their European ties across two legs. Previously, if a team had an away goal, they would often implement a cautious approach in the return leg in hope that the goal would seal their passage.
Now, the winner of the tie is the team with the most aggregate goals over both matches. If the aggregate score over the two legs is tied, there will be two 15-minute halves of extra-time.
Should there be no further goals, a penalty shoot-out will take place to determine the winner. Speaking about the decision to remove the infamous rule, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin explained how it would ensure fairness in the ties.
"Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished," Ceferin 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." The Slovenian continued: "It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was.
"Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home."
READ NEXT:
What Arsenal chief Josh Kroenke and ex-Tottenham ace Gareth Bale are doing after transfer window
Christian Pulisic and the three Chelsea players waiting on Champions League squad omission call
How much did Chelsea spend in January? Fernandez, Mudryk and Madueke transfer fees confirmed
Apple TV launch new streaming service that could lead to end of Premier League blackout rules
Mikel Arteta has already confirmed Arsenal plan for Folarin Balogun as starlet topples Mbappe
