Not all competitions have extra time in a knockout stage, the most notable of which is the Copa America. At the end of the 90 minutes of regulation time, and any added stoppage time (or injury time), if the two teams are level, then they go straight to a penalty shootout. In penalty shootouts, the gap between two teams is reduced significantly, as it all boils down to how the players can perform under pressure and a lot of the responsibility falls on the goalkeepers.
Not having extra time completely changes the way an underdog may play, as the penalty shootout is a golden ticket to winning a knockout game. If they can hang on for 90 minutes + stoppage time, they can do some serious damage to favorites. The stronger team, on the other hand, will have all the pressure to win the penalty shootout, and they will not find any comfort in a shootout.
Extra Time Rules in Soccer
In the following table, you can check out the competitions that use extra time, and those that do not.
| With Extra Time | Without Extra Time |
|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF Champions League |
| Copa America (final only) | Copa America (earlier knockout rounds) |
| Copa Libertadores (final only) | Copa Libertadores (earlier knockout rounds) |
| FA Cup (from third round onwards) | FA Cup (earlier rounds up to the second round) |
| MLS Cup Playoffs | |
| UEFA European Championship |
Where there is extra time, it is played in two 15-minute halves, with a 5 or 10-minute break between the halves. Just like in regulation time, referees can add injury time in each of the extra time halves, but this is usually around 1 or 2 minutes (if that).
Referees can add more minutes, but this only occurs if there is a long break during the half. For example: because of an injury, a long VAR decision, or anything else that caused a significant delay in the game. The score continues where it was left off after the regulation time, and teams can score. If there is a team ahead at the end of both halves of extra time, they win the game. Should the two teams remain level at the end of the two halves of extra time, they have to play a penalty shootout.
We have definitely seen some extra time drama over the years. One of the best displays of extra time madness came in the 1970 World Cup. Italy played against West Germany, and after the Germans scored in the 90+2 minute, the game ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time. In the extra time, a total of 5 goals were scored.
Italy vs West Germany
Regulation Time
Roberto Boninsegna 8′ ( 1 – 0 )
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger 90+2′ ( 1 – 1 )
RT Final Score: 1 – 1
Game Goes to Extra Time
Gerd Muller 94′ ( 1 – 2 )
Tarvisio Burgnich 98′ ( 2 – 2 )
Luigi Riva 104′ ( 3 – 2 )
Gerd Muller 110′ ( 3 – 3 )
Gianni Rivera 111′ ( 4 – 3 )
ET Final Score: 4 – 3
Usually though, in extra time we may see 1 or 2 goals, if any at all. As tired legs and fresh substitutes change the dynamic of the game, it is the perfect time for heroes to step up and clinch a dramatic, late finisher.
History of Extra Time in Soccer
Extra time, as we know it today, is quite commonplace in tournaments around the world. But this was not always the case. Before extra time, a common way to determine a winner in a tie was to have a replay. Instead of extending a game, the teams simply rescheduled and played the same game a few days later. To avoid draws in the European Cup (Champions League) final, and various other competitions, the final was played in two legs, ensuring there would be a winner at the end.
Extra time was first introduced in the FIFA World Cup in 1954, and in the UEFA European Championship in 1968. In the Copa America, it was introduced much later, in 1987.
In 1970, the FIFA World Cup introduced penalties as a means to determine a winner if games were still drawn after extra time. The first instance of a penalty shootout in a World Cup came in 1982. Penalties were introduced in 1976 in the European Championships and in 1993 in the Copa America. But the extra time was a little different in the late 1990s, as many international matches used the Golden Goal or Silver Goal rules.
These were scrapped in the early 2000s, for regular extra time and ensuing penalty shootouts. It is by far the most familiar format of extra time, and used by the majority of soccer competitions and knockout tournaments across the world.
Golden Goal & Silver Goal Explained
Golden goal is an extra time format in which the team that scores the first goal in extra time wins the game. For example, in the 1998 World Cup round of 16, France won in the 113th minute when Laurent Blanc scored for France. Extra time stopped in the 113th minute, and France won the game.
Silver goal rules are a little different. Instead of one team winning as soon as they score in extra time, the silver rule goal gives the team that concedes a shot at winning. Basically, if one team scores in the first half of extra time, the half is continued until the 15 minutes are up, and if that team is still ahead, they win the game. The silver goal format was introduced in UEFA competitions from 2002 to 2004. An example of the silver goal format is when Greece beat the Czech Republic after scoring in the 105th minute. Traianos Dellas scored in the dying second of the first half of extra time, and the Czech team did not have enough time to clinch a goal to extend the game. It ended after the first half, and Greece progressed to the 2004 Euros final (where they beat Portugal to win their only title).
Nowadays, there are still competitions that use replays, but golden goal and silver goal extra time rules have been all but scrapped. Instead, we have extra time and penalties, or in some cases, tied games go straight to penalties.
Useful Terminology
Here is a list of some of the terms you may hear from soccer pundits or commentators, relating to extra time in a game.
Regulation Time/Regular Time
90 minutes, comprised of two halves of 45 minutes, of game time
Stoppage Time/Added Time
Time added onto the regulation time by the referee. This can be due to injuries, VAR decisions, time-wasting or any other issue that causes the game to stop during regular time
Injury Time
Sometimes pundits may refer to added time as injury time. In the past, time was usually added on because of injuries, and there was no VAR and less blatant time-wasting
Extra Time
The two 15-minute halves added onto a game that is drawn. You can refer to each half as the “first period/half of extra time” and the “second period/half of extra time”
Half-time
There is half-time in the middle of the 90-minute regulation time, and you can also refer to the break in the middle of extra time as “half-time in extra time”
Golden Goal
Not used anymore: a format in which the first team that scores in extra time wins the game
Silver Goal
Not used anymore: Should one team score a goal in the first half of extra time, the half is played out in its entirety, and if that team is still ahead, they win. The opposing team still has a chance to equalize and extend the game – by scoring the “silver goal”
Penalty Shootout
Also called penalties or spot-kicks, if a game is still level after extra time, it is decided by a penalty shootout where both teams have 5 attempts each, and if there is still a draw, the shootout goes into sudden death
Sudden Death
If the scores are level after both teams have taken 5 penalties, the shootout goes into sudden death. This means that if a team scores and the other misses, they win the game. If both teams score or miss, the round continues until one team wins the game
How it Affects Your Bets
This all plays an important part on your bets, especially for the following markets:
Moneyline (Regular Time)
If you bet on a team to win, they must do so in regulation time. Otherwise, bet on a draw. Should you place a moneyline on a draw, it does not matter which team wins the game in extra time. But if you place a moneyline on a team and they can only win in extra time, you lose your bet as the game ended in a draw in regulation time.
Double Chance (Regular Time)
This bet also relates to the outcome at the end of 90 minutes (+ stoppage time). Though instead of picking a team to win, you can bet on two of the three possible outcomes. Most commonly, bettors place double chance bets on one team to win or draw the game. It is far rarer to put a bet on either team to win (and no draw), but this is also possible.
This bet is also called 1X2 where 1 is the “home” team and 2 is the “away” team. If you bet 1X you are betting on the home team to win or the game to end in a draw. X2 is the away team to win or the game to end in a draw, and 12 is the home or away team to win.
Draw No Bet (Regular Time)
The odds on double chance bets are very lean, so if you want to get the middle ground between double chance and moneyline, you can go with a Draw No Bet. This is a bet on one of the teams to win, and if the game ends in a draw at the end of regulation time, you bet is voided and you get your money back. Therefore, you can get longer odds than double chance wagers, and if your team can only manage a draw, you get your money back.
To Advance
Whereas the other bets relate to the regular time outcome, To Advance bets are wagers on which team will ultimately win the game. It does not matter if your chosen team wins in regular time, extra time, or in a penalty shootout. All you need is your team to win the game, and advance to the next stage of the competition.
