Ireland U17's can hold their head high after being cruelly denied a European Championship semi final after a highly controversial penalty shootout.
With four penalties taken by each side Ireland keeper Jimmy Corcoran needed to save the next penalty, which he did brilliantly, only for the referee to give the keeper a second yellow card for moving off of his line too early. The decision to retake the penalty may well have been the right one going by the absolute letter of the law but to send Corcoran off seemed excessive and very cruel on a valiant Irish effort.
With substitutions during a shootout not permitted, centre half Oisin McEntee had to go in goals for the retaken penalty and was duly beaten by Chelsea's Daishawn Redan to send the Dutch into the semi final.
Ireland have been eliminated in bizarre, controversial fashion at the U17 Euros after goalkeeper Jimmy Corcoran was shown a second yellow card for moving off his line too early during the penalty shootout https://t.co/O48xsGehPh pic.twitter.com/yroYmS84ca
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) May 14, 2018
Corcoran's first caution came in the second half after he was booked in the second half for time wasting.
Ireland had brought the tie to penalties following an excellent equalising goal from Troy Parrott:
The U17 European Championships quarter-final has gone to penalties. It finishes Netherlands 1-1 Republic of Ireland in normal time thanks to this equaliser from Troy Parrott https://t.co/O48xsGehPh pic.twitter.com/xJPA6s79LD
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) May 14, 2018
