AFA’s play-off decision: why Unión need to stay alert | OneFootball

The Round of 16 of the Clausura Tournament will begin this weekend. Unión will host Gimnasia on Monday at 10 PM at the 15 de Abril stadium.

This phase will bring a key novelty: there will be extra time in case of a draw, something that did not happen during the Apertura.

The AFA decided to implement a change in the regulations for this stage of the tournament. Unlike the format used in the Apertura, where tied matches were decided directly by penalties, this time there will be a 30-minute extra time (two halves of 15 minutes) before reaching the penalty shootout. The intention is clear: to prevent the fear of losing from stalling the dynamics of the matches.

In the previous tournament, the only instance that considered extra time was the final, although it was not necessary because Platense defeated Racing with a goal by Guido Mainero. However, in this Clausura, the rule will be applied from the first knockout round, completely changing the way the matches will be resolved.

With the new format, teams will have an extra opportunity to resolve the matches on the field and avoid the penalty shootout. The extra time, as established by international regulations, will consist of two periods of 15 minutes, and only if the tie persists will they resort to penalties.

Madelón has taken note of this and for some time now has been working not only on the physical aspect to seek greater performance in case they have to face 30 more minutes of play, but the players are also practicing penalties, something that could also be key to seeking advancement to the next phase.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.