What happens in knock-outs in case there is a tie?
The knock-out stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup started on Saturday as France overcame Argentina and Uruguay downed Portugal. It's a do-or-die battle in the knock-outs as there is no possibility of a draw. So what happens if a knock-out fixture ends as a tie after 90 minutes? Let's look at the rules regarding tie-breakers.
The extra-time post the 90 minutes
In the group game, if two teams draw a fixture, then both sides are awarded equal points (1). But in the knock-outs post the 90-minute period, the match enters extra-time. There are two halves in the extra-time period of 15 minutes each. We see a total of 30 minutes of football and the team which gets the winning goal progresses.
What if the score-line remains same after extra-time?
Even after extra-time, if the two teams remain level in terms of goals scored, then the match enters the penalty shootout phase. Five players are allowed to take the penalties. After 5 penalties, if the score-line reads the same for both the teams, then the spot-kick battle continues until a team gets one more than the opponent.
Germany the king of penalties
Germans have been the masters of shoot-outs. They have won four World Cup matches which were determined by the shoot-outs. They have also scored 15 penalties in a row during the shoot-out in these four campaigns. Argentina come second after claiming four wins from five attempts. England have a poor record after failing to win even one of their three shoot-outs.
All you need to know about the penalty shoot-outs
In 1990, 2006 and 2014, four matches in the knock-out stages were determined by penalty shoot-outs. Since 1978, a total of 26 matches have been decided by penalty shoot-outs. In 2014, Argentina beat Netherlands 4-2 via penalties after their semis match ended 0-0 after extra-time. Italy beat France 5-3 in penalty shoot-outs in the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
