In a moment of sporting agony that will be etched into African football history, Brahim Diaz saw a last-gasp Panenka penalty saved, costing host nation Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations title in a final overshadowed by extraordinary controversy and a stadium walk-off by opponents Senegal.
The 1-0 defeat after extra time extends Morocco’s 50-year wait for the trophy, a drought they were seconds away from ending before a cascade of chaotic events unfolded at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat.
The match was goalless deep into the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time when Moroccan winger Brahim Diaz, the tournament’s top scorer, went to ground under a challenge from Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf. After a lengthy video review, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded a penalty, sparking immediate fury from the Senegalese camp.
In a stunning and almost unprecedented protest, Senegal’s head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players to leave the pitch. “Pape Thiaw is taking his players off the pitch. This is extraordinary, I have never seen seen anything quite like this,” said commentator Paul Walker on the broadcast.
For approximately fourteen minutes, the fate of the final hung in the balance as Moroccan players waited on the field. The scene was only resolved when Senegal’s talismanic captain, Sadio Mane, went to the dressing room to persuade his teammates to return.
When play finally resumed in the 114th minute, Diaz, who had been made to wait an agonizingly long time, stepped up for a penalty that could have won the trophy. Opting for a high-risk, chipped “Panenka” attempt, the Real Madrid forward saw his tame effort fall directly into the hands of the stationary Senegal goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy.
Former Nigeria international Efan Ekoku, commentating on the match, was left in disbelief: “What is Brahim Diaz doing?… Too clever for his own good. To do that is absolutely ridiculous”.
The emotional and psychological toll was immediate and severe. Diaz, visibly distraught, was substituted shortly into extra time and was seen on the bench holding back tears.
“He is going to be devastated,” said former Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel. “This is going to be tough on him, for weeks, for months”.
Morocco’s manager, Walid Regragui, pointed to the lengthy delay as a factor but refused to excuse the miss. “He had a lot of time before taking the penalty which must have disturbed him,” Regragui stated. “That is how he chose to take the penalty. We need to look forwards now”.
The decisive blow came just four minutes into extra time. Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye unleashed a powerful, curling shot from outside the box that crashed in off the crossbar, securing a 1-0 victory and Senegal’s second continental title in five years.
The win, however, was marred by the preceding controversy. Coach Regragui was scathing in his post-match assessment of Senegal’s protest. “The match we had was shameful for Africa,” he said. “When a head coach asks his players to leave the pitch… he needs to stay class, in victory as well as in defeat. What Pape [Thiaw] did tonight doesn’t honor Africa”.
The final whistle confirmed a heartbreaking end for the host nation and for Diaz, whose five goals earlier in the tournament were overshadowed by a single, calamitous kick.
As Senegal celebrated, the moment crystallized into one of football’s cruelest dramas: a player’s audacious attempt at glory, under the most intense pressure and after unprecedented disruption, turning instead into a personal and national nightmare that will define this Afcon final for generations.