As part of the celebration leading up to the final of the Copa Libertadores 2021, Conmebol has given good news to all clubs and fans regarding the "away goal". We have all lived for years knowing that goals scored away from home counted double, but this rule will now be eliminated for all established matches.
For several years, there has been a fight in all Conmebol conferences to leave this rule behind in tournaments like the Libertadores, Sudamericana, and others. Now, the highest entity of South American football will eliminate this option, making the next tournaments in 2022 even more significant.
"CONMEBOL eliminates the away goal. From now on, all goals in CONMEBOL tournaments will have the same value, and goals scored as an away team will no longer be considered as a tiebreaker factor. This is aimed at achieving greater sporting justice," reads Conmebol's message on social media.
This fact generates a range of positions for all those involved in the "king sport". Some see eliminating the away goal as something favorable, while others believe it should be maintained throughout international competitions.
It is important to remember that this new regulation starts now, so the closest Conmebol tournaments affected by the change are the Libertadores and Sudamericana. In Peru, the clubs that will participate in these tournaments are Sporting Cristal, Alianza Lima, Universitario, César Vallejo, Melgar, Cienciano, Sport Boys, and Ayacucho FC.
It is worth mentioning that the clubs that will face home and away matches are Universitario, César Vallejo, Melgar, Cienciano, Sport Boys, and Ayacucho FC. This is different from Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal who will directly enter the group stage.
When does the Copa Libertadores 2022 start?
The Copa Libertadores 2022 will start on February 8th with Phase 1. As for the group stage, it will begin on April 5th.
When does the Copa Sudamericana 2022 start?
It is important to note that the preliminary stages of both the Libertadores and Sudamericana have the same start date, so everything will kick off on February 8th.