Rochdale’s bizarre penalty blunder as National League title pressure mounts

Rochdale returned to the top of the National League table after drawing with Scunthorpe United, but the night was tainted by controversy.

With Rochdale 1-0 down, top goalscorer Emmanuel Dieseruvwe stepped up to take the all-important penalty kick, but never even touched the ball.

While there have been some insane penalty incidents over the years, this one certainly falls into the 'never seen anything like this before' category.

Could this be the moment that swings the National League title race in York City's favour? Scroll down to watch the incident with DAZN News.

Watch Rochdale's penalty incident involving Emmanuel Dieseruvwe

It appeared a routine penalty when referee Darren Drysdale blew his whistle, but what unfolded was nothing short of baffling.

Dieseruvwe ran up to kick the ball, but slowed himself down before running past the ball completely to a chorus of boos and appeals from the Scunthorpe players.

The referee then blew his whistle and awarded the Iron a free-kick before explaining to Rochdale's number nine and his teammates exactly why he made his decision.

Rochdale did go on to equalise through Ryan East, but the 1-1 draw means that their lead over York at the top of the table is just one point, while they now have just one game in hand on their rivals.

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