Added time completes the half
Added time, also called stoppage time, compensates for time lost during a half. IFAB lists causes including substitutions, injuries, VAR delays and celebrations. The board shows the minimum: the referee may increase it, but cannot reduce it. A displayed five does not promise an exact final-whistle time.
Extra time is a competition procedure
When competition rules require a winner after a drawn match or tie, extra time is one permitted procedure. IFAB allows two equal periods of no more than 15 minutes each. The competition determines whether this procedure is used, so a draw does not automatically mean another half-hour.
Our matchday habit
Read the competition's tie-breaking rules before a knockout game. Then keep two separate questions in mind: how much time remains in this period, and what happens if the score stays level? That distinction makes a late substitution or a team's approach to the closing minutes easier to discuss without confusing the clock with the format.
