Soccer Golden Goal
What is a golden goal in soccer?
The golden goal is a goal that is made during a sudden death situation, resulting in a team winning the soccer match. It is also a sudden death format common across many sports that states that the first team to score a goal in extra time is the winner.
World Cup Golden Goal Rule
Until 2003, the “golden goal rule” was used for European championships as well as several editions of the FIFA World Cup. If the golden goal rule was in effect, the match ended as soon as one team scored an additional goal during the extra time period.
The golden goal was first implemented in youth fixtures as an experiment before mandating the rule in top-level competitions. One key moment in which the golden goal broke a tie in these competitions was in the 2000 Euro when France beat Italy in the final and won the cup from a Golden Goal.
The golden goal rule is no longer used in professional play, so teams now play out both 15-minute periods of extra time even if one team scores first during that time.
Removing the Golden Goal Rule
The use of the rule raised concerns over over-defensive playing and unnecessary extra time periods. Thus, the golden goal rule was removed for most major international competitions following the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, some argue that the golden rule should be reinstated in the form of penalty kicks if there is a tie at the end of regulation time.
Silver Goal Rule
The silver goal rule was another short-lived FIFA experiment in breaking ties. Following the termination of the golden goal in 2003, the silver goal was used in place from 2003-2004. Similar to the golden goal rule, teams would play two 7:30 halves of overtime. However, a team scoring a goal in overtime would not immediately be deemed the winner of the match. Instead, the other team would have the opportunity to equalize up until the end of the overtime half.
For example, if a team scored the first tie-breaking goal in the seventh minute of overtime, the other team would have 30 seconds of play to equalize. If the losing team did not equalize or score more goals, the original scoring team would win the match. This concept was scrapped in 2004 due to the complexity of the rules and its failure to fix the problems that the golden goal rule created.
FAQ
Is soccer extra time sudden death?
In most professional and high-level amateur soccer competitions, extra time is not sudden death. Thus, both periods of extra time must be played before declaring a winner, regardless of whether one team scored.
Why did FIFA get rid of the golden goal rule?
FIFA got rid of the golden goal rule because it was creating a boring, highly defensive playing style that was unappealing to fans. It was originally instituted to create the opposite style of play, as FIFA assumed teams would try to go for the automatic win with the golden goal rule in place. However, this was not the case, and the golden goal rule was removed from competition after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
What is the silver goal rule?
The silver goal rule was a sudden death scoring format in which the first team to score would win if the other team did not catch up by the end of the period. This style was temporarily adopted after the termination of the golden rule. After a single season, the silver goal rule was also terminated from professional play.