The Republic of Ireland u17s really got screwed over on Monday night.
The Republic of Ireland u17's run in the European Championships have ended at the quarter-final stage. However, the Boys In Green's exit wasn't without its controversy.
It was all looking so well too. After going one behind to the Netherlands, Troy Parrott grabbed the game's equaliser. The game finished tied at 1-1, so the game went to a penalty shoot-out.
It's important to note that goalkeeper James Corcoran received a yellow card in the second half of normal time for time-wasting.
https://twitter.com/RTEsoccer/status/996113210817179649
The shoot-out went down to the wire. With four penalties taken apiece, the fate of the Irish rested on Corcoran's shoulders... or so we thought.
With all the pressure weighing down on him, the young shot-stopper pulled off a phenomenal save to deny the Dutchman. However, the referee took the amazing moment away from him by ordering the penalty to be retaken. He deemed that Corcoran had left his line too early.
While that decision was arguably the correct one, the referee showing Corcoran a second yellow card for his actions is a little harder to justify. The rules state that the goalkeeper can only be replaced by a player that finished the game, so centre back Oisin McEntee stepped in between the posts. Unfortunately, the defender was unable to keep the retaken penalty out and Ireland's run in the tournament was over.
The controversial conclusion sparked angry scenes with Martin O’Neill confronting the referee as he walked off the pitch.
Check out the crazy scenes in the video embedded below.
https://twitter.com/RTEsoccer/status/996118013387522049
