Arsenal are 90 minutes away from potentially reaching their first Champions League final since 2006, with PSG the only team left standing in their way.
The Gunners have traversed through plenty of challenges in the Champions League this season, with victory over Real Madrid perhaps the most memorable of the lot.
Now at the semi-final stage, Arsenal are 1-0 down to PSG, with Ousmane Dembele’s early goal costing the north London outfit at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta will need to mastermind a comeback at the Parc des Princes to reach a first Champions League final since 2006.
That task may have been made easier in a different season, though, with a UEFA rule change leaving Arsenal with a tougher challenge than before.
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Thierry Henry discussed the away goal rule change in the Champions League that could cost Arsenal
After a disappointing first leg of the Champions League semi-final, all of the focus is now on the possibility of a comeback.
Arsene Wenger has outlined the advantage Arsenal have over PSG, which could prove to be the difference between the two teams.
Arsenal could’ve had an even bigger advantage, though, if the Champions League away goal rule was still in force.
The rule stated that over two legs, if the tie was level, then the team with the most goals away from home would gain passage to the next round, while an equal amount would send it to extra time and potentially penalties.
With Arsenal conceding once at the Emirates Stadium, their need to score one goal at the Parc des Princes is already there, but it would have then put them in the driving seat to score more for away goals.
It’s a rule change Arsenal legend Thierry Henry wasn’t pleased with, as he discussed it following Barcelona’s clash with Inter Milan.
He said on CBS Sports: “I know it’s been like that for a very long time [the away goal rule change] and we have to accept it, but off air I was talking to Jamie [Carragher] and I’m like ‘How can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?’
“Away goals, for me, were massive because to score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage to having a 0-0 at home,” he said when shaking his head.
For Arsenal, it’s a rule change that could well cost them a place in the Champions League final, as for example, a 2-1 victory on the night would’ve put them through in previous years, but will now see them taken to extra time and penalties.
It means more work for Mikel Arteta’s side to reach that final they desperately crave.
Why was the away goal rule scrapped for the Champions League?
UEFA removed the away goals rule from competitions in 2021, bringing an end to its implementation, which had been in place since 1965.
It had played a huge part in some of the most dramatic nights in Champions League history, but it brought about questions of fairness, with a recommended scrapping of it by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin discussed the rule at the time of its abolition, stating: “The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965, however, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years.
“Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.
“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.”
It’s a move that has since changed the landscape of the Champions League and could have a huge impact on Arsenal.
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