Referees

Northern Ireland's World Cup hopes were all but dashed Thursday as the hosts lost 1-0 to Switzerland in the first leg of their World Cup playoff. The goal came via a Ricardo Rodriguez penalty in the 56th minute. Ricardo Rodriguez should not have scored that goal because a penalty should not have been called. Take a look for yourself:

Taylor Twellman is adamant that this is a penalty and you know what, reader? Taylor Twellman is wrong.

Manchester City is on an historic run of form, crushing all competition with relative ease. Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing footballers bounced around Arsenal like they have against every other team this year and deservedly won 3-1 on Sunday at the Etihad. But Man City was aided by a few refereeing decisions going its way to dispatch a Gunners side that was actually decent in defense for once despite allowing three goals.

The Video Assistant Referee system is now extensively in use around the globe, most notably in Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and Major League Soccer. MLS’s time with the use of video replay dates back to August 5, and it’s had the likes of Kaka and Clint Dempsey sent off. It’ll be in use at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but there are still pockets of resistance.

River Plate was leading Lanús by three goals on aggregate early in their Copa Libertadores semifinal second leg on Tuesday evening, a seemingly insurmountable lead for Lanús, which has only played in five Copa Libertadores, against a club that has won the tournament three times. But then it all unraveled, with Lanús scoring four unanswered goals to steal a 4-3 aggregate victory and advance to the club’s first Copa Libertadores final.

Some players are just destined for greatness from the moment they step on the pitch, their debuts so magnificent the entire stadium recognizes the kid on display is special. Like a 17-year-old Alan Shearer netting a hat trick against Arsenal in his debut, some introductions are seminal events that will never be forgotten.

Jesús Vallejo did not have such a debut for Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. 

According to Spanish football federation president Juan Luis Larrea, La Liga will begin using Video Assistant Referee technology next season if all goes according to plan. Given La Liga’s refusal to use goal-line technology on the grounds of cost concerns, the proposed introduction of VAR in the Spanish top flight represents something of a shock.

Just like last season, the Seattle Sounders are rolling into the MLS playoffs. Unfortunately, just like last season, they’ll have to make due without Clint Dempsey — at least for the first leg of their Western Conference semifinal. Dempsey was issued a straight red card in the 24th minute of the Sounders' final regular season match on Sunday after the VAR was consulted to spot an elbow from the USMNT legend on Colorado Rapids defender Mike da Fonte.

What a historic week for Carlisle United striker Shaun Miller. Last Friday, the 30-year-old was awarded the Sky Bet League Two Goal of the Month award for September after receiving 50% of the public vote for his hooked overhead kick against Barnet.