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The first European Cup tie decided on away goals was a step into the unknown for Icelandic champions Valur. Not because the regulation was new and unusual, but because it meant that for the first time an Icelandic side would be playing well into October, long after harsh weather normally forced people indoors onto handball and basketball courts.

The tie in question? The 1967/68 European Cup first round: Valur against Luxembourgian champions Jeunesse Esch. “We drew with them on both occasions; it was 1-1 here and 3-3 in Luxembourg,” says Halldór Einarsson, a defender in that Valur side. “It was tight and we looked at each other in the locker room after the game and asked, ‘What’s going to happen now?’

“We’d have to continue to train because normally that would be the end of the season coming into October – football would stop for winter. We were all just amateurs. Nobody got paid a single penny for it, but it was interesting because it was the first time an Icelandic team progressed into the second round.”

On a rest day after the group stage at EURO 2020, focus briefly turned back to club football with the announcement that the away-goals rule had been binned. The arguments for scrapping it were well worn and the decision had been coming. Too much of an advantage to the away side; it made the home team in the first leg too cautious, fearful of conceding. And was there still a major disadvantage playing away anyway, in this era of seamless travel and pristine pitches?