Brahim Diaz has apologised to Morocco fans for his panenka penalty miss in the Africa Cup of Nations final and admitted it will be “hard to recover” from.
In a chaotic conclusion to Sunday’s showpiece between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat, Diaz had the opportunity to seal victory for the tournament hosts from the spot deep into added time.
However, after a 16-minute delay caused by Senegal being led off the pitch by head coach Pape Thiaw, who was incensed by the awarding of the penalty, Diaz’s tame effort looped into the hands of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy when play resumed.
Instead, Pape Gueye’s outstanding extra-time strike clinched a 1-0 victory for Senegal, leaving Diaz facing widespread criticism for blowing his chance.
“My soul hurts,” the Real Madrid forward said in a statement on his social media channels on Monday.
“I dreamed of this title because of all the love you guys have given me, every message, every show of support that made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all.
“I failed yesterday and I take full responsibility and I sincerely apologise. It will be hard for me to recover, because this wound does not heal easily, but I will try. Not because of me, but for all who believed in me and for all who suffered with me.
“I will keep going until one day I can return all this love and be the pride for my Moroccan people.”
Diaz was the tournament’s top-scorer with five goals but appeared disconsolate after being handed the Golden Boot by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the pitch as Senegal celebrated their triumph.
Former Nigeria midfielder Jon Obi Mikel told Channel 4 the penalty miss “spoils everything Brahim Diaz has done well in this tournament”, while ex-Morocco international Hassan Kachloul said: “Brahim Diaz is going to have a lot of nightmares in the coming days.”
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui defended Diaz, admitting the long disruption between being awarded the spot-kick and taking it was a major factor in the miss.
“He had a lot of time before taking the penalty which must have disturbed him,” Regragui said. “But we can’t change what happened. That is how he chose to take the penalty. We need to look forwards now.”
