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A Complete Guide to Goals, Extra Time, Penalty Shootouts, Cards & the Offside Rule
Last updated: March 1, 2026
In football (soccer), each goal is worth 1 point. The team with more goals at the end of 90 minutes (two 45-minute halves) wins the match. If the score is level in a knockout match, the game may go to extra time (2 × 15 minutes) and then a penalty shootout.
A football match lasts 90 minutes, divided into two halves of 45 minutes each, with a 15-minute half-time break in between.
A goal is scored when the ball completely crosses the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided no infringement (foul, offside, handball) occurred in the build-up. Each goal counts as 1 point — there are no 2-point or 3-point goals in football.
The team with more goals at full time wins the match. If both teams have the same number of goals, the result is a draw (in league matches) or the game proceeds to extra time and/or penalties (in knockout competitions).
Key facts:
The clock in football never stops during play — it runs continuously from 0:00 to 45:00 in each half. To compensate for time lost during the half, the referee adds stoppage time (also called injury time or added time) at the end of each half.
What causes stoppage time?
The fourth official displays the minimum number of added minutes on an electronic board (e.g., +3). The actual stoppage time is at the referee's discretion and can exceed the displayed amount.
How it looks on the clock: When the clock passes 45:00 in the first half, it continues counting: 45:01, 45:02... On TV broadcasts and scoreboards, this is typically shown as 45+1:00, 45+2:30, etc. The same applies at 90:00 for the second half.
Modern trend: Since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, referees have been instructed to add more stoppage time to account for all lost playing time. It is now common to see 8–12 minutes of added time in a single half, compared to the traditional 2–4 minutes.
Extra time is played only in knockout matches (cup ties, tournament elimination rounds) when the score is level after 90 minutes. League matches that end in a draw simply stay as draws.
Extra time consists of two periods of 15 minutes each, for a total of 30 additional minutes:
There is a 1-minute break between the two extra time halves (teams switch ends but do not leave the pitch). A short break also occurs between the end of regular time and the start of extra time.
Stoppage time is also added at the end of each extra time period.
Additional substitution: Most competitions allow teams an extra (6th) substitution during extra time, on top of the standard 5 substitutions in regular time.
Historical note: The "golden goal" rule (first goal wins immediately in extra time) was used by FIFA from 1993 to 2004 but has been abolished. Today, both extra time halves are always played in full, regardless of whether a goal is scored.
If the score remains level after extra time (or directly after 90 minutes, depending on competition rules), the match is decided by a penalty shootout.
Format:
Winning the shootout:
Sudden death: If the score is still level after 5 penalties each, the shootout enters sudden death: teams take one penalty each in alternating rounds. If one team scores and the other misses, the shooting team wins immediately.
Who takes penalties? Any player on the pitch at the end of extra time can take a penalty. All 11 eligible players must take a kick before any player can take a second one.
ABBA format (rare): Some competitions have experimented with an ABBA order (Team A, then Team B twice, then Team A twice...) to reduce the advantage of going first, but this is not widely adopted.
Football uses a card system to discipline players for fouls and misconduct.
Yellow card (caution):
Red card (sending off):
Cards and the scoreboard: Cards do not directly affect the score, but they affect the number of players on the pitch. Playing with fewer players is a significant disadvantage, which often impacts scoring opportunities.
The offside rule is the most misunderstood rule in football, but the core concept is straightforward:
A player is in an offside position if, at the moment the ball is played to them by a teammate:
Being offside is NOT automatically a foul. A player is only penalised if they are in an offside position AND actively involved in play — by playing or touching the ball, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage from their position.
You cannot be offside from:
What happens when offside is called? The referee awards an indirect free kick to the defending team from the spot where the offside player was standing.
VAR and offside: In top competitions, VAR uses camera systems and calibrated lines to check offside decisions down to the centimetre. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), introduced at the 2022 World Cup, uses limb-tracking cameras to detect offside positions automatically.
Myth 1: "A goal can be worth more than 1 point." False. Every goal in football is worth exactly 1 point. There is no equivalent of basketball's 3-pointer or rugby's try/conversion system. An own goal, a penalty, a header from 2 yards, or a 40-yard screamer — all count as 1 goal.
Myth 2: "The away goals rule still applies." The away goals rule (which gave extra weight to goals scored away from home in two-legged ties) was abolished by UEFA in 2021 and by most other confederations shortly after. Ties that are level on aggregate now go to extra time.
Myth 3: "Extra time is always played when the match is drawn." Extra time is only played in knockout/elimination matches. In league football, a draw after 90 minutes is a final result — each team receives 1 point (in a standard 3-points-for-a-win system).
Myth 4: "Two yellow cards in different matches have no consequence." In most tournament formats, yellow cards accumulate across matches. For example, in the UEFA Champions League group stage, receiving 3 yellow cards across different matches triggers an automatic 1-match ban.
Let's walk through a complete knockout match to see every scoring scenario in action.
1st Half (0:00–45:00+)
Team A scores at 23:00 from open play. Score: 1-0. Team B equalises at 41:00 with a header from a corner kick. Score: 1-1. The referee adds 3 minutes of stoppage time. No goals in added time.
Half-time: 1-1.
2nd Half (45:00–90:00+)
Team A's defender receives a yellow card at 58:00 for a reckless tackle. Team B scores from a penalty kick at 72:00. Score: 1-2. The same Team A defender receives a second yellow card at 81:00 → automatic red card. Team A plays with 10 players. Team A equalises at 88:00 despite being down to 10. Score: 2-2. The referee adds 7 minutes of stoppage time (due to substitutions, VAR check, and the red card incident). No goals in added time.
Full time: 2-2. Because this is a knockout match, the game goes to extra time.
Extra Time 1st Half (90:00–105:00+)
No goals scored. Score: 2-2.
Extra Time 2nd Half (105:00–120:00+)
Team B scores at 113:00. Score: 2-3. Team A equalises at 119:00 in the final minute. Score: 3-3.
Both extra time halves are played in full (no golden goal rule).
After extra time: 3-3. The match goes to a penalty shootout.
Penalty Shootout
| Round | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scored | Scored |
| 2 | Scored | Missed |
| 3 | Missed | Scored |
| 4 | Scored | Scored |
| 5 | Scored | Missed |
Result: Team A wins 4-3 on penalties.
Team A advances to the next round. The official match result is recorded as 3-3 (4-3 on penalties).