The European soccer weekend again delivered a ton of talking points across the top leagues -- and the English FA Cup, which completed its fourth round this weekend -- but where do we begin?

Let's start in Italy, and a top-of-the-table derby clash between Inter Milan and Juventus that yielded five goals, plenty of drama ... and plenty of controversy after a first-half dive led to a red card that changed the game. The referee made a mistake, but the teams, players and officials should know better.

In England's FA Cup, Liverpool wrapped a big win over Premier League rivals Brighton that showed further signs of their progress in a difficult season. In Spain, Real Madrid turned in another wobbly performance but did get a big win over LaLiga's red-hot Real Sociedad, and in Germany, Harry Kane made it to 500 club/country goals as Bayern Munich rolled over Werder Bremen to stay way out in front of the chasing pack in the Bundesliga. Elsewhere, we have tons to dissect for Atletico Madrid, Marseille, Chelsea, Napoli, the Ligue 1 title race and much more.

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It's Monday morning, so what better time for some musings? Let's get into it.

Ideally, we'd be talking about an engrossing match -- the latest edition of the Derby d'Italia -- pitting Italian footballing royalty against one other. A game that saw Juventus twice come from behind against the league leaders, only to be pipped by a dramatic Piotr Zielinski goal in the 90th minute in Inter's 3-2 win. We'd be talking about Manuel Locatelli's drive and Francesco Pio Esposito's goal, Inter's ability to turn it on when it matters and how Juventus, after Luciano Spalletti's arrival, play some of the best football in the league.

But ... we can't. Instead, we have to talk about one of the worst refereeing decisions in recent memory and how the system ensured there was no corrective. We have to talk about how several actors in this drama we call Serie A made exceptionally bad decisions, covering themselves in shame. And yes, let's recognize that having done it, they can either make it worse in the next 48 hours or find a way to begin crawling out of the hole they dug themselves.

With 42 minutes gone, Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni intercepted a pass and powered forward. As he passed Pierre Kalulu, the Juve right back extended his arm and brushed against him. It wasn't a tug or a shove -- it was the slightest of contact. Bastoni collapsed to the ground and referee Federico La Penna immediately showed Kalulu -- who had been booked 10 minutes earlier -- a second yellow card, sending him off. Bastoni cheered as if he had scored the winner in a Champions League final.

It was a wretched call, made worse by the fact that La Penna didn't hesitate at all, which means neither of his assistants or the fourth official -- who may have had a better view -- could weigh in. (The VAR, of course, couldn't get involved because it was a second bookable offense: That is likely to change after next month's IFAB meeting, when the laws of the game will be adjusted.)

Juventus ware incensed, and Bastoni's celebration rubbed salt into the wound. Moments later, at halftime, Juventus officials Giorgio Chiellini and Damien Comolli made their way down to the tunnel. They insulted and berated La Penna as he walked off the pitch; Comolli appeared as if he needed to be physically restrained. Juventus then boycotted the postgame news conference and instead sent the two of them to address the media. Chiellini said, "this isn't football." Comolli added: "It's an embarrassment, we lost three points, Italian football lost much more than that."

Postmatch, Inter coach Cristian Chivu commented on the incident, saying: "It's a light touch, but it's a touch ... [Kalulu] is an experienced player, he's already been booked. Don't touch him; don't give the referee the basis to make a decision."

The following day, Gianluca Rocchi, head of the Italian referees, said it was a "terrible mistake," that La Penna was "mortified" and that he will sit out for around a month. But he added: "He's not the only one who did wrong. This was a clear case of simulation. All season long, players have been trying to con referees, and their coaches aren't helping. It's a shame because we're the only ones accountable."

Let's unpack this, bearing in mind that this all unfolded against the ugly past of Calciopoli and other poisonous legacies of Serie A.

La Penna made a serious mistake and we can question why a more senior referee wasn't appointed to the game. (One theory is that Rocchi likes to spread out the big matches among his officials, rather than assign them all to his top guys.) Bad decisions -- even in good faith -- need to have consequences, and it's right that he sit out.

Bastoni's actions -- from the dive to the celebration -- were embarrassing. Especially as he was on the receiving end when Inter played Liverpool in the Champions League earlier this season, and his light shove on Florian Wirtz led to the latter throwing himself to the ground and Inter losing the game.

Chiellini and Comolli also need to be fined and disciplined. It's one thing to rage at the full-time whistle, but you cannot go and confront the referee at halftime (and potentially affect the second half). These are grown men: Comolli is new to Serie A, but clearly he has already been influenced by this sort of behavior. As for Chivu, his words were astoundingly tone-deaf.

How do we move on? The VAR rule change will help, but we can't leave it all to that. Video evidence needs to be used to punish divers and those who con the ref. How many times do we see guys getting hit in the chest and then grabbing their face, for example? Give VAR the power to intervene there, too, and if they don't have a panel, take retrospective action and issue bans. This is cheating, plain and simple. Meanwhile, Inter should urge Bastoni to apologize, and -- though this is wishful thinking -- consider a sort of unofficial ban for the next few days. These are not club values.

But it goes beyond Inter. When you con the referee like that, you're not being clever: you're cheating. Managers need to own up, set the tone and be clear about it. You're trying to outplay and outwit the opponent, not the referee. If your players act that way, don't be afraid to take a stand for fear that by admitting something, you won't get the call next time.

This was ugly, but let's also have some perspective. It was a single bad decision that likely cost Juventus points, if not the game, but it's not some sort of systemic conspiracy. Let's use it as an opportunity for responsibility and accountability from players and coaches, as well as seeing whether the system can be improved.