MILANO
Farewell to the calculations in which even the most experienced fans could get lost, in the excitement of the final minutes of a knockout match. The decision was in the air and yesterday was made official by UEFA. From next season, the away goal rule will disappear, which is worth double in European cups, a characteristic that contributed to making international matches special, but considered outdated. For various logistical reasons: the trips are more comfortable, the lawns are better maintained, the referees are less homely. But the main reason is another. In the last 50 years, the home factor has lost its impact. The percentage of home and away wins went from a ratio of 61% -19% to 47% -30%: gap reduced by 2 and a half times. The same goes for goals. In the 1970s, home teams averaged 2.02 goals per game, now 1.58. Those away have gone from 0.95 to 1.15. “The rule was now holding back the home teams from attacking – says Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin – the fear of conceding a goal to away opponents and compromising qualification is too strong”. It was more and more frequent to hear the coaches repeat how essential it was not to concede a goal in the first leg on one’s own ground. He had lost the spirit of the attack on the white weapon to make as many goals as possible and gain a safety advantage that would protect him from the comeback of a fiery return to the enemy stadium. It may seem like an unromantic twist, but the poetry had already vanished in the face of tactical speculation. –