It was a moment that will haunt Brahim Diaz for years to come.
The winger had a chance to write his name into Moroccan folklore after winning a penalty in the eighth minute of second-half added time with Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal goalless.
It was a golden opportunity to end his country’s 50-year wait to lift the Afcon trophy.
But Diaz, whose five goals had propelled the hosts to the final, tried a ‘Panenka’ chipped penalty. It backfired. Horrendously so. Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy stood his ground and caught the ball in embarrassingly simple fashion.
The former Manchester City player and tournament’s top-scorer looked distraught as it began to sink in what he had done. Later, television cameras zoomed in on him on the Morocco bench, after he had been substituted in extra time, holding back tears.
The Real Madrid attacker had been made to wait around 17 minutes to take the kick after the majority of Senegal’s players, including Mendy, marched off the pitch in protest at the award of the penalty.
“He had a lot of time before taking the penalty which must have disturbed him,” said Morocco manager Walid Regragui.
“But we can’t change what happened. That is how he chose to take the penalty. We need to look forwards now.”
Diaz’s penalty turned out to be the last kick of normal time.
Four minutes into extra time, Senegal’s Pape Gueye lashed in what turned out to be the winner to leave Diaz and his Morocco team-mates heartbroken.
“I think Brahim Diaz is going to have a lot of nightmares in the coming days,” former Morocco midfielder Hassan Kachloul said on Channel 4’s coverage of the match.
Former Nigeria forward Daniel Amokachi added: “Brahim Diaz threw away all of his glorious moments, scoring five goals in this tournament.”
And ex-Nigeria midfielder Jon Obi Mikel said the miss “spoils everything Brahim Diaz has done well in this tournament”.
“He is going to be devastated,” he added. “This is going to be tough on him, for weeks, for months.”
Efan Ekoku, another former Nigeria international, said: “It is a moment Brahim Diaz will never get over.”
The final was goalless deep into added time at the end of the second half when Diaz El Hadji Malick Diouf appeared to drag Diaz to the ground by his neck.
DR Congo referee Jean-Jacques Ndala was sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee and, after a quick check, pointed to the penalty spot in the 98th minute.
Already incensed after a decision to disallow a Senegal goal in the 93rd minute, head coach Pape Thiaw tried to usher his team off the field, and several Senegal players left for the dressing room.
Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane stayed on the pitch and tried to coax his Senegal team-mates back on to finish the match.
When the penalty was eventually taken in the 114th minute, Diaz saw his tame attempt saved by Mendy.
Pape Gueye put Senegal in front four minutes into extra time. A few minutes later Diaz was substituted.
The last time Morocco won Afcon was the same year the first Panenka penalty was attempted.
Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the Euro 1976 final with probably the most famous penalty kick in history. During the shootout, midfielder Antonin Panenka waited for the goalkeeper to dive and then casually chipped the ball down the middle of the goal.
Since the original, the ‘Panenka’ has been repeated and proven as a bona-fide – if high-risk – tactic by some of the biggest names on the most momentous occasions.
Zinedine Zidane scored one for France in the 2006 World Cup final, beating Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon with an effort that went in off the crossbar.
Andrea Pirlo cooly clipped one past Joe Hart as Italy beat England on penalties in the Euro 2012 quarter-final. Sergio Ramos followed suit as Spain knocked Portugal out of the semi-finals of the same tournament.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all pulled it off.
But Diaz isn’t the only player to see their attempt backfire on football’s biggest stage. Zidane and Pirlo both missed Panenka’s earlier in their career. Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Peter Crouch have all tried and failed.
In January, Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made light work of an attempt in the Premier League by Sunderland’s Enzo Le Fee.
Ademola Lookman’s dreadful attempt with the last kick of the game in a 1-0 defeat by West Ham in 2020 is up there with one of the worst Panenka penalties seen in recent years.
