Tottenham fans can rest easy knowing that their team’s heroics in Amsterdam back in May 2019 can no longer be repeated.
The Champions League as we know it will never be the same again after UEFA announced on Thursday that away goals have been scrapped in time for the 2021-22 season.
The rule was brought in back in 1965 to give visiting teams a fairer opportunity to go through in continental competition.
But following strong opposition from senior football figures such as Arsene Wenger, the rule has been officially scrapped by the European football governing body, following arguments that the rules had favoured teams who played at home first.
It means that teams will now face the possibility of longer ties, with extra-time now set to come into effect if the scores are level after the second leg.
Looking back over the years, away goals have contributed to some of the Champions League most memorable ties.
Mirror Sport takes a look at five of the best ties decided by the controversial rule…
Chelsea vs Barcelona (Semi-finals, 2008-09)
First leg: Barcelona 0-0 Chelsea
Secon d leg: Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona (1-1 on aggregate)
A painful memory for Chelsea fans and arguably the start of Pep Guardiola’s dynasty at Barcelona.
The Blues had earned a goalless draw at Camp Nou with a spirited defensive display, keeping out the likes of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o.
The hosts appeared to be in the driving seat at Stamford Bridge after Michael Essien struck home a thunderous volley in off the underside of the bar.
But as Barca pressed for an equaliser, Essien’s failed clearance found its way to Messi. He squared it to Andres Iniesta, who placed the ball into the smallest gap in the top corner to send the Catalan fans into pandemonium.
It had taken Barcelona 183 minutes to break through but they would go on to reach the final in Rome after going through on away goals, breaking the hearts of Guus Hiddink’s side, who had several late penalty appeals turned down.
And it was at the Stadio Olympic where Guardiola clinched his first Champions League trophy as a manager as the Blaugrana defeated Manchester United.
Ajax vs Tottenham (Semi-finals, 2018-19)
First leg: Tottenham 0-1 Ajax
Seco nd leg: Ajax 2-3 Tottenham (3-3 on aggregate)
Which is the best Champions League comeback of all-time? Have your say in the comments section below.
Show this to future schoolchildren for an example of what away goals contributed to the beautiful football game.
After a poor display in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Tottenham found themselves trailing 1-0 heading to Amsterdam with a mountain to climb.
Conceding two first-half goals to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech seemed to have dashed their hopes of a comeback in the Netherlands.
Looking for a hero, Mauricio Pochettino sent on the Brazilian winger Lucas Moura at the interval hoping to spark some life into his side.
Two quick-fire strikes from the former PSG man put Spurs back into contention, with the score 3-2 on aggregate to Ajax.
Then, as the clock ticked into the final minute of five for stoppage time, Lucas Moura ran onto Dele Alli’s knockdown and drilled a low effort past Andre Onana, sparking incredible scenes on the Tottenham bench and in London.
Tottenham were into a Champions League final, with barely a second to spare, having trailed 3-0 on aggregate at the break.
They would go on to lose the final to Liverpool in Madrid, but the experience itself will be unforgettable for those who attended. Without away goals, it might not have happened.
Monaco vs Manchester City (Quarter-finals, 2016-17)
First leg: Manchester City 5-3 Monaco
Second leg: Monaco 3-1 Manchester City (6-6 on aggregate)
An extraordinary tie for a number of reasons, but it was a rare moment in Guardiola’s reign at the Etihad Stadium where they completely capitulated.
The quarter-final first leg was by no means a walk in the park for Manchester City, having gone 3-1 down at home to Radamel Falcao’s double and a strike from an 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe.
But four goals in the space of 24 minutes from Sergio Aguero (2), John Stones and Leroy Sane handed the Premier League side a healthy advantage heading to the State Louis II for the second leg.
It was Mbappe again who opened the scoring for the Ligue 1 side and Fabinho, now at Liverpool, gave Monaco the lead on away goals.
Sane struck a late goal which would have put City through but Tiemoue Bakayoko’s header sent the hosts through on away goals after the two sides played out an enthralling 6-6 tie over the two games.
Manchester City vs Tottenham (Quarter-finals, 2018-19)
First leg: Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City
Second leg: Manchester City 4-3 Tottenham (4-4 on aggregate)
If there has been a more action-packed opening to a Champions League match than this, it would be a surprise.
Having played out a 1-0 win for Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this was a goal-laden affair.
Raheem Sterling and Heung-min Son struck early on, with the Korean adding a second on 10 minutes, before Bernardo Silva made it 2-2 almost instantly, to set this quarter-final tie alight.
Aguero would find his way onto the scoresheet before Fernando Llorente’s controversial goal, which appeared to have touched his arm, brought Spurs back into the lead on away goals.
Sterling thought he had sealed his hat-trick in stoppage time after beating Hugo Lloris but VAR, being used for the first time in the Champions League that season, chalked off the goal for offside against Aguero.
It left City feeling utterly crestfallen and Spurs would go on to face Ajax, which as we know was just as historic, if not more.
Roma vs Barcelona (Quarter-finals, 2018-19)
First leg: Barcelona 4-1 Roma
Second leg: Roma 3-0 Barcelona (4-4 on aggregate)
After watching Luis Suarez and co run amok at Camp Nou to record a 4-1 thumping win, Roma fans would never have dreamed of pulling off one of the finest comebacks in the competition’s history.
The Italians became only the third team to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg when they stunned the Catalans at the Stadio Olimpico.
The man who grabbed a vital consolation in Barcelona, Edin Dzeko, opened the scoring to give them a glimmer of hope and Daniele De Rossi’s penalty made the unthinkable look more realistic.
But it wasn’t until Kostas Manolas rose high to meet Cengiz Under’s corner to glance past Marc Andre ter Stegen that they believed.
There were tears from both sides and celebrations from the Serie A outfit on arguably the greatest night in their history.
