Dutch football coach, Hendrik Pieter de Jongh, has welcomed the recent UEFA changes that will see the away goals rule scrapped in all European competitions from next season.
It was reported this week that the away goals rule would not come into force from the 2021/22 season onwards, including in the Champions League.
When talking about the decision, de Jongh mentioned the infamous Ajax vs Tottenham game in 2019 that saw the Lilywhites reach their first-ever Champions League Final.
At half-time on the night, Spurs were 3-0 down on aggregate with just 45 minutes left to achieve their dream.
Up stepped Lucas Moura with a second-half hat-trick, including a 96th-minute winner, to seal Tottenham’s qualification on the away goals rule. This came as Spurs had scored three away goals compared to Ajax’s one away and two at home.
De Jongh, who has managed several clubs around the world, still maintains that Ajax were ten times better than Spurs on the night, claiming that the changes to the rules will be a good thing.
He told Goal: “I find the new changes good since teams are playing home and away.
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“The rule worked in favour of teams that were relying on counter-attacks. For example, remember two years ago the match between Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur.
“Spurs advanced to the final because of the away goal rule. Offensively, Ajax were 10 times better [than] Spurs, but in the final seconds, the latter scored and it changed.
“The new rule will give teams an opportunity to attack more than sit back and rely on counter-attacks.
“We will now see better attacking football from teams since the more you score, the better your chance of making it to the next level of the competition.
“The changes will be good for offensive football, and good for the fans as well.
“I challenge Africa to follow suit and abolish the [away goal] rule as well.”
Spurs Web Opinion:
I find it funny that Dutch and Ajax fans are still bitter about that game to this day. Spurs outscored them on the night. Ajax let a three-goal lead slip. How can they possibly argue that they deserved to win? It would be like Tottenham arguing that they deserved to beat Dinamo Zagreb last season just because they were two up.
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