Thierry Henry demands return of axed UCL rule after Barcelona vs Inter drama

Inter Milan drew 3-3 with Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday, with the result leading Thierry Henry to call for the return of away goals after they were scrapped in 2021

Thierry Henry has called for UEFA to reinstate the away goals rule after Barcelona drew 3-3 with Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash. Denzel Dumfries netted a brace for the visitors after Marcus Thuram gave them an early lead.

However, strikes from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres and an own goal by Yann Sommer means the tie is level heading into the second leg at the San Siro next week. And Henry, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009, believes the fact that Inter scored three goals away from home should be rewarded.

"I know it's been like that for a very time and we have to accept it, but off-air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher) and I'm like, 'how can you score three goals away from home and you don't have an advantage?'" Henry said on CBS Sports.

"Away goals for me were massive. You score three goals away and you still don't have an advantage 0-0 at home... But like I said, I didn't think that Inter Milan was going to perform they way that they did just because of how they played recently.

"So you have to give them a lot of credit for matching up what Barcelona gave them and coming strong in the game. To be honest, I didn't expect that."

The away goals rule was scrapped in 2021, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin explaining at the time: "The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965.

"However, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years. Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.

"The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams – especially in first legs – from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.

"There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored. It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was.

"Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home."

Reflecting on the result, Inter boss Simone Inzaghi said: "We played a great game, clearly were 2-0 up, I still don't understand why that goal was disallowed, so there are also regrets, but we know that we put in a great performance against in my view right now the best team in the world.