Marrakech – Morocco’s heartbreak in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final crystallized in one brutal moment when Brahim Diaz’s Panenka penalty was comfortably gathered by Edouard Mendy deep into stoppage time, following a 17-minute interruption that epitomized the controversy of the night.
The tournament’s top scorer and Real Madrid forward cut a distraught figure as he received the Golden Boot from Gianni Infantino, amid conspicuous boos from Moroccan supporters.
After hours of silence, he finally broke his absence by posting a heartfelt Instagram message – issuing an emotional apology to the Moroccan people and offering deeply personal reflections on a miss that came to define the final, while openly acknowledging his profound pain and sense of responsibility.
“My soul hurts,” Diaz wrote in his Instagram statement. “I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you gave me, with every message, every sign of support that made me feel I wasn’t alone. I fought with all my strength, with my heart above all.”
The 26-year-old continued his candid admission: “Yesterday, I failed, and I accept full responsibility. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
View this post on Instagram
The controversy exploded deep into stoppage time, in the 96th minute, when referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo correctly penalized Malick Diouf for a foul on Diaz, a call subsequently validated by VAR.
Beyond reproach and indisputably correct, the decision nevertheless triggered Senegal’s predictable descent into ritualized protest, amplified by head coach Pape Thiaw, unleashing scenes of unprecedented chaos.
Diaz’s missed Panenka penalty eventually came nearly 17 minutes after the spot-kick was awarded following a prolonged standoff during which Senegalese players abandoned the pitch in open defiance, transforming a lawful refereeing decision into a farcical suspension of sporting order.
Diaz slowed his approach and dinked the ball down the middle, but Mendy remained stationary and comfortably caught the effort. The miss forced extra-time, with Senegal eventually claiming their second AFCON title.
Mendy clearly spotted something in Diaz’s approach and stayed positioned centrally. The Chelsea goalkeeper has saved only five of 56 penalties faced outside shootouts, making his decision to remain stationary particularly astute.
Coach Walid Regragui provided extensive analysis while defending his star player. “I don’t usually criticize my players. This is part of football, unfortunately, the cruelty of this sport,” Regragui explained. “There was still half an hour left. There was a lot of time before he took the penalty. That could have disturbed him.”
The coach elaborated on the chaotic circumstances: “The match was stopped for at least 10 minutes in front of the world. That didn’t help Brahim. It’s not an excuse for how he took it, but we won’t go back. He took it that way. We’re going to assume it, especially me as coach.”
Regragui confirmed Diaz’s penalty-taking credentials: “Brahim Diaz is the first penalty taker in the national team. Missing penalties remains part of football,” remembering what happened with Achraf Hakimi in a previous tournament.
The coach criticized Senegal’s conduct during the controversy. “It’s unfortunate that Senegal’s coach asked his players to leave the field, because such behavior damages football’s reputation, but that doesn’t prevent us from congratulating the Senegalese team on their coronation and being careful to remain dignified,” he stated.
Regragui described the match’s dramatic nature: “The scenario is very, very difficult. The scenario of the match turned against us after we had to play extra time with 10 players, which clearly affected the course of the match.”
He added a philosophical perspective: “Winning the continental title is not easy, it requires work, patience, and perseverance. The Moroccan national team will return stronger in the future.”
For Diaz, the failed penalty represents a cruel twist in what had been a stellar tournament performance. The penalty miss transformed him from hero to villain among Moroccan supporters.
Having been the tournament’s standout performer, the Real Madrid midfielder found himself subjected to widespread criticism on social media from both Moroccan and Senegalese fans.
Conspiracy theories emerged suggesting Diaz deliberately missed to avoid abandoning the final, but Mendy firmly dismissed such claims. “Do you really think we could agree on something like that with one minute left, after Morocco waited 50 years?” the Chelsea goalkeeper told Canal Plus. “Diaz wanted to score, and I tried to save it. That’s all.”
Diaz acknowledged the profound psychological impact of his failure in deeply personal terms: “It will be difficult for me to recover because this wound doesn’t heal easily, but I will try. Not for me, but for all those who believed in me and for all those who suffered with me.”
He concluded with a promise of redemption: “I will continue until one day I can give back all this love and be the pride of my Moroccan people.”
The Panenka technique originated from Antonin Panenka’s famous penalty that won Czechoslovakia the 1976 European Championships against West Germany. After Uli Hoeness smashed his spot-kick over the bar, Panenka floated a delicate chip down the middle to befuddle goalkeeper Sepp Maier and claim the trophy for the underdogs.
Panenka had successfully used the technique for his club Bohemians against rivals Dukla Prague just a month earlier. However, his Euros-winning effort brought the technique to global prominence.
Since then, numerous top players, including Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, and Francesco Totti, have successfully employed the method. France legend Zinedine Zidane executed perhaps the highest-pressure Panenka in the 2006 World Cup final, with his penalty hitting the crossbar’s underside before crossing the line.
According to a BBC analysis, statistics favor penalties down the middle, with 84% finding the net at World Cups since 1966 and European Championships since 1980. This compares to 78% success rate going left and 74% going right.
This year’s AFCON continued the trend with six of eight penalties down the middle successful at 75%, compared to 12 of 18 going left (67%) and 11 of 16 going right (69%).
Regragui substituted Diaz immediately after the miss, describing the match as “Hitchcockian” due to its dramatic twists. The coach assumed full responsibility for tactical decisions while praising goalkeeper Yassine Bono as “a legend in Morocco and Africa.”
The coach described the overall tournament context: “The match was balanced from the start, as expected. Small details made the difference, starting with the wasted penalty, which changed the course of the match and gave the advantage to the opponent.”
Morocco’s half-century wait for continental glory drags on, Diaz’s flashes of brilliance swallowed by collective anguish. His raw reaction laid bare football’s cruelty – the suffocating weight of a nation’s expectations collapsing in a single, unforgiving instant.
Read also: What Lessons Can We Draw from AFCON 2025?
