The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

Good evening sports fans, I am liking this theme of discussion, so much so that we’re going to keep that line of conversation going. I am referring to the trip down memory lane, but in line with our website, it’s sports related.

Ladies and gentleman, the golden goal. The golden goal was the best thing, invented in knock out football. What is it? That will no doubt be the young ones who ask that. It’s ok kids, Uncle Sports Buff will tell you, the golden goal was how Euro 2000 was settled and still to me, remains one of the best finals to this day, for that very reason.

So, you play a game of football, it finishes all square, extra-time comes and like in park football that you would play as a kid with your mates, it was next goal wins! The score wouldn’t be 10-4 to one team, then that it’s, no this was neck and neck.

As a fan it was tense, the sudden death of it all, that’s what brought the excitement and nervous energy to reality. The near misses, the handballs or the penalties, lead you to think is this it, the golden moment if you like?

When the golden goal would be scored by the winning team of course, you would feel the excitement, but also the pain of the loser and in my memory that was Italy who had taken the lead in the game.

Unbeknownst to the common football fan (meaning the men in suits obviously thought of this), golden goal rule was dumped. Silver goal rule was introduced, but it wasn’t the same, the silver goal rule was a down grade from golden goal, as in the park football next goal wins, but this would be a mini match with in the first 90 minutes.

To put it simply, no good! It begged the question, why did they change it? O and whilst we’re on the topic as tonight is FA Cup day, with several ties being played, there’s no replays! *throws his coat down in rage*

That’ s where the romance of the cup is from! Ryan Giggs with his gorilla chest swinging his jersey over his head and running around in that tense semi-final replay moments before penalties were due to be taken, finding a moment of magic to win the game, but that’s no more .. thanks to some people!

Not all changes are terrible in sport, VAR. Yes, it’s used terribly, but the idea is good. That’s the only positive change in football I can think of. In European competition as of this year, away-goals rule no more.

Hello, Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen in 2003, are we going to allow games to fade into the back of the memory. That tie was iconic! But now due to UEFA ruining a good thing, the away goals rule no more.

There is some solace, because the Cup Winners Cup was a tournament, but they cancelled and have now brought it back, so maybe there is hope? As I am sure you have guessed, a cricket article of this nature is incoming. So see you there!

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