How Tied Matches are Decided in Soccer

Soccer, like other sports, needs to have a way of settling a tie. In Soccer, the game is played out for 90 minutes and if the scores remain level then the match is decided in alternative ways.

In league football, tied matches after 90 minutes are draws. That is to say, it is not necessary to seek a winner in the game as the league point’s system awards both teams. One league point is given to both teams, and there is no extra time or penalty shoot-outs.

In cup games, however, things become tricky. The nature of cup competition is knockout, and as such this means that there has to be one team progressing to the next round and one being eliminated. How to decide these knockout games, is something that soccer (or FIFA governing body) has experimented with.

If a cup match is tied after 90 minutes, then extra time is played. Extra time, as the name suggests, is time added to the match and play continues as before. The time added amounts to 30 minutes, with two 15-minute halves.

FIFA have experimented with a golden goal rule. This is where the first team to score in the extra period goes through automatically. This was first used in Euro 96, and the final was settled by a golden goal scored by Germany. However, it has its critics and often has not resulted in any goals during the extra time-period.

If the scores remain level after extra time, then penalty shoot-outs are taken to decide the game. The penalty-shoot out gives both teams’ five penalty kicks, the team which scores the most wins the match. If this shoot out remains level after 5 kicks, then sudden death penalties are taken with the first team to get ahead winning.

The penalty shoot out is used universally, if all else fails. Ultimately, it has decided a number of high profile games. Two World Cup finals and the 2008 Champions League final are good examples.

It is worth noting that cup competitions can have different structures also, which can decide tied games. For example, the Champions League and UEFA Cup knock out ties are two legged games, with an away goal rule. Away goals scored are given extra value, by effectively being worth an extra goal. Let us say, for example, that team a won their home game 2-1 and team b won at home 1-0. With the scores level at 2-2; team b will win the tie on the away goals rule having scored more away goals. The two-legged nature of Champions League ties has resulted in fewer penalty shoot-outs.

In domestic cup competitions, like the FA cup, there is only one leg. If this is tied after 90 minutes, then extra time will be played. However, a replay is given after the first game if the game remains tied after 120 minutes. Only in the event that the replay is still tied after 120 minutes, will a penalty shoot out be held to settle the cup-tie.

The soccer World Cup has one off games, and cannot afford replays or second legged ties. As such, in the knockout stages, penalties are used at the end of extra time in the original fixture if the scores remain level.

All things considered, the penalty shoot out remains the only effective way to decide a tied knock out match. While some argue they involve luck, there is some skill behind the shoot out, with teams with better keepers and forward players having an advantage. Some teams have better records than others do in these shoot-outs. At any rate, they are part of the modern game and will likely remain so unless FIFA can find something better.