I would assume that the taxiways are lit differently to the runways. At least I hope so and I would expect pilots to know this
......And I suspect if you asked the AC pilots involved before this incident about airfield lighting they will have have been happily be able to describe to you the difference between taxiway and runway lighting....indeed I'd bet a significant number of pilots who have landed on parallel taxiways instead of runways in broad daylight could describe Threshold Markings, Touch Down Zone Markings, etc.
. As to reactions to this kind of situation if I was an airline manager it would be summary dismissal.
That's the way to improve things..string them up, no need for further questions....but that improves safety for the rest of us who operate into "big" airports with multiple runways how, exactly? We know they stuffed up, they I'm sure know they stuffed up. I'm probably a bit of a soft old liberal but personally at the very least before firing them (if you must) I'd like to know why they didn't see the Gorilla, so I don't miss it the darned thing the next time I go into the likes of SFO...........