Forget Golden... here's Silver!!

With the knockout stage of Euro 2004 kicking off today, there's one thing we'll leave behind in the group matches… and that is an all-square final scoreline!

With a clear result necessary for one team to progress and another to pack their bags, we'll have extra-time and penalty shoot-outs if necessary.

That’s normal, you say. What's new?!

Well… many of you might not know that the usual golden goal rule will not be applied in this tournament. Instead, they're going to have a Silver Goal rule.

Here's what will happen if the two teams find themselves deadlocked with an indecisive scoreline after 90 minutes of play…

*If scores are level on 90 minutes, extra time will be played and the silver goal rule will come into force.


* If a team scores a goal in the first period of extra time, play continues until the first period is complete and if one team leads, they win the match. If it is still level at the end of the first period, the second period will be played to its end and if scores are still level, there will be a penalty shootout.


* In the penalty shoot-out, each team alternately takes five spot kicks. If, after this procedure, both sides have converted the same number of penalties, kicks continue to be taken in the same order, until one team has scored one goal more than the other from the same number of kicks.
[source: BBC SPORT]

Now you know! …So pick your favourite teams and enzoi!!! :-)