The Moroccan national team came very close to winning their second Africa Cup of Nations. The team managed by Walid Regragui lost 1-0 against Senegal in the final played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Brahim had the chance to give Morocco the lead in the match, but Herve Renard believes he let his country down by taking the decisive penalty. In a controversial final, Morocco had the chance to win their second Africa Cup of Nations and reaffirm once and for all that they are the best African representative today. In the 90+13 minute (a lot of time wasted due to Senegal's discontent), Brahim Diaz had the opportunity to give his country the title from the penalty spot. Many penalty takers, in the midst of high-pressure situations, have opted for a Panenka penalty. One of the most memorable is Sebastian Abreu's in the 2010 World Cup. Brahim tried to do the same, but Edouard Mendy wasn't fooled. Herve Renard questioned the Real Madrid player's decision. Morocco was left empty-handed. "Brahim Diaz's Panenka penalty? You have the right to miss a penalty, but in that case, I'm categorical and I have no compassion. It's a lack of respect towards an entire country and an entire people who have been striving for success for 50 years," said the Saudi Arabia coach. The French strategist already had a similar episode during his time as coach of the Arab team. Abdullah Al-Hamdan had a penalty against Morocco in a 2021 FIFA Arab Cup match. With the score at 1-0, Al-Hamdan took a Panenka penalty and hit the crossbar. The score remained unchanged, and Saudi Arabia lost the match. "To a lesser extent, I experienced the same thing in the Arab Cup against Morocco. One of my players, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, completely missed his Panenka penalty. I asked him to accompany me to the post-match press conference and apologize," he recalled.

Brahim Diaz apologized

After his penalty miss went viral, Brahim Diaz took to social media to apologize. The Real Madrid player was visibly upset after his decision to take the penalty in a Panenka style, denying his national team the chance to win a new trophy for the first time since 1976.

“Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility and apologize 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,” Diaz wrote.