Brahim Diaz has apologised for his penalty miss in the Africa Cup of Nations final and vowed to ‘repay all the love’ he has received following Morocco’s 1-0 defeat to Senegal.
There were dramatic scenes as referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco, the host nation, a spot-kick deep into stoppage time in Sunday’s chaotic final at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
But Senegal’s players, already frustrated having seen an Ismaila Sarr goal disallowed earlier in the contest, were hauled off the pitch in protest by their manager Pepe Thiaw.
Violent clashes broke out in the stands between Senegalese supporters and Moroccan security personnel during a 17-minute delay in play, before Thiaw’s men eventually returned from the tunnel again under the orders of Sadio Mane.
The intense pressure of the moment was written all over Brahim’s face as the Real Madrid attacker stepped up to take the penalty, with the whole of Morocco holding its collective breath.
But Brahim’s attempted Panenka was comfortably held by a rooted Edouard Mendy and Pape Gueye would go on to win the game for Senegal with a thunderous effort in the fourth minute of extra-time.
Boos were heard inside the stadium as a teary Brahim went up to collect the Golden Boot award from FIFA president Gianni Infantino after finishing the tournament with a tally of five goals for the Atlas Lions.
Get your football fix
Don't want to miss the week's biggest football stories? Metro's exclusive football newsletter, In The Mixer, is your essential guide.
From the latest transfer rumours and managerial moves to analysis of the biggest games and a lot more, our experts have you covered.
Sign up here, it's an open goal.
‘My heart aches. I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you’ve given me, every message, every show of support that made me feel I wasn’t alone,’ Brahim told his followers on X this afternoon.
‘I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all else.
‘Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility and apologise from the bottom of my heart.
‘It will be hard to recover because this wound doesn’t heal easily, but I will try.
‘Not for myself, but for everyone who believed in me and for everyone who suffered with me.
‘I will keep going until one day I can repay all this love and be a source of pride for my Moroccan people.’
At his post-match press conference, Morocco manager Walid Regragui suggested Brahim had been ‘disturbed’ by the long delay in play before his failed penalty.
‘He had a lot of time before taking the penalty which must have disturbed him,’ Regragui told reporters.
‘But we can’t change what happened. That is how he chose to take the penalty. We need to look forwards now.’
There were some suggestions that Brahim may even have missed his penalty on purpose after Senegal’s protest, with Channel 4 commentator Paul Walker saying live on air: ‘There will be a few thinking this, I’m gonna say it.
‘Did he miss it on purpose? Could he have missed it… is there any way that he could have missed that on purpose?’
However, Mendy, the former Chelsea shot-stopper, vehemently dismissed these claims, insisting he ‘deserved credit’ for denying Brahim from 12 yards.
‘No, of course not. We have to be serious,’ Mendy said.
‘Do you really think that with one minute left and a country that has been waiting 50 years for a title, we can reach an agreement?
‘He wanted to score and I deserve credit for stopping him, that’s all.’
Asked what he and Brahim had spoken about after the penalty miss, Mendy replied: ‘That’s between us.
‘We did it together and we came back together, that’s all that matters. We can be proud tonight.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
