With this year’s World Cup now in full swing, there has been one notable difference to the football that we are used to witnessing on a weekly basis. Not in the way the games have been contested but how they have been refereed.
Because unlike competitions such as the Premier League or La Liga, the World Cup has not given any courtesy to time wasting and if players are to attempt to shave seconds off the clock, they will simply be added straight back on.
While it is a FIFA-led edict that has created some almost ludicrous scenarios. Usually, a match that enters its 100th minute of regulation time will do so because of a serious injury and the lengthy medical attention that is subsequently required.
EVERY SECOND COUNTS
However, events in Qatar have been stretched out to make sure the maximum amount of playing time is allocated. This additional time is not only testing the fitness of the world’s best players, but it is also testing the nerve of punters up and down the country.
Nerve that comes with an even longer wait before the final whistle is blown. With there being as many as 10 additional second half minutes on the clock, it has the ability to make existing betting markets all the more interesting.
Interest that comes not just in the time that makes up a standard game of football, but the increasing abundance of seconds that are now added before the referee finally signals its conclusion.
While for those who are not aware of full betting rules, they may have an important question to ask.
Are football bets 90 mins only? Or to put it another way, do football bets include injury time?
For the purposes of a league game, all bets are settled at the final whistle. No matter how long the period of additional time is required, the bet is still live if the clock trickles into the 91st minute of the game.
Then again, things will differ in a cup competition and one where extra time or penalties are required as a device to break any stalemate. Here, the bet does not include minutes 91 to 120 or any shootout that follows. That is unless you select this particular outcome of victory.
This means in a competition such as the World Cup, punters may need to select the ‘to qualify’ method instead. This means you can still select a winning team as usual, but you still get the additional insurance of extra time or penalties in terms of winning method.
While for those who are looking to place a wager in the World Cup, a winner in the win draw market will include injury time but not extra time. For example, we can take a look at England’s Round of 16 clash with Senegal.
Knockout World Cup Matches Can Also Be Decided By Extra Time Or Penalties
If you were to select England to win, they would need to win in 90 minutes (and any additional time played). If the score was 1-1 after 90 minutes but the Three Lions went to win on penalties, this would be considered a losing bet.
While if we look at the to qualify market, the odds are as follows:
England 1.14
Senegal 5.50
The To Qualify Market Covers Any Win During Extra Time Or After Penalties
As you can see England’s relatively low odds that we saw previously, have now shortened further. While in doing so, it does allow Gareth Southgate’s men to win on penalties and for your bet to be a winner.
Therefore, the increase of additional stoppage time is certainly that punters will need to take into consideration during the World Cup and here is an example of where you may find yourself in something of a pitfall.
Let’s assume you are an England supporter with something of a nervous disposition and you have backed the draw in 90 minutes. While your lack of faith looks like it may be rewarded as England and Senegal are locked at 1-1.
The clock ticks over to the 91st minute and you think that the draw will soon be paid out and to make matters even better, Harry Kane has popped up with a dramatic header to win the game. Jubilation for the Three Lions but a nasty plot twist for you.
Because injury time is still considered part of the game in the win/draw/win market, what happens in minute one to 90 is largely irrelevant and especially if there is still a large portion of time to be added on.
Your draw bet has been undone by an England winner in injury time. It is good enough to see the national team advance but it has deprived you of multiplying your odds of 3.80 into a handsome set of winnings.
While another pitfall could also be found in the over/under market and especially with additional minutes left on the referee’s watch.
ONE MORE GOAL
If we look at this game from an over/under 2.5 goals perspective, the market currently looks like this:
Over 2.5 – 2.30
Under 2.5 – 1.61
One More Goal Can Make All The Difference
For those who do not know how this market works, over 2.5 goals denotes that there will be three or more goals scored in total and under 2.5 denotes that there will be two or less goals and if the game is at 1-1 at 90 minutes, the latter option would be declared a winner.
If we assume that a punter has backed under 2.5 goals at odds of 1.61 and the score is 1-1 after 90 minutes, the bet is still live until the final whistle is blown. Unfortunately for the person holding or looking at their betting slip, they now have a nervous wait.
If the period of injury time sees no more goals and the clash between England and Senegal goes to extra time, he or she can breathe a sigh of relief. If there is a goal in injury time for either side, not only would that nation advance in the World Cup, but he or she will take a breath of despair.
Which means if you are looking to back over or under markets at the World Cup, you will have to be extra careful and with all that additional time lurking around the corner, you may have to hold your nerve even further.
