Brahim Diaz apologises to Morocco fans after AFCON final penalty miss | OneFootball

Brahim Diaz had to go through perhaps the worst moment of his footballing career as he missed a crucial penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal.

In a game that was filled with controversy, including Senegalese players walking out in protest for a goal being disallowed and a subsequent penalty being given to Morocco, Diaz had the opportunity to seal the win for his team.

However, the Real Madrid star attempted a poorly implemented Panenka that was easily saved by Eduardo Mendy, much to the embarassment of him and that of his team.

To make things worse, Senegal were able to secure a winner during extra time to seal the trophy.

Brahim Diaz’s message to fans after AFCON defeat

A day after the defeat to Senegal, Diaz took to social media to share his thoughts, penning a heartfelt letter to fans.

“My soul aches. I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you have given me, to every message, to every show of support that made me feel I wasn’t alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all else,” he wrote on Instagram.

Morocco are not necessarily making Diaz the scapegoat for missing a crucial penalty, and are even arguing that Senegal’s decision to walk off had immense influence on the proceedings.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brahim Díaz (@brahim)

Diaz, after all, was the best-performer of the tournament, notably winning the Golden Boot award for scoring five goals.

In his message, though, Diaz took the blame on himself and admitted it was his error that led to Senegal winning the tournament.

“I failed yesterday, and I take full responsibility and sincerely apologise. It will be difficult 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,” he added.

“I will keep going until one day I can repay all this love and be the pride of my Moroccan people,” he concluded.

Diaz will look to move on from this and shift his focus back to Real Madrid, where he is expected to report on Wednesday.

The Moroccan international is expected to be welcomed with open arms by his teammates, who consider him the MVP of the tournament.