"Not a killer": Luis Enrique backs Brahim after Africa Cup miss | OneFootball

The PSG coach sided with the attacking midfielder after the harsh criticism for the chance he missed in Morocco’s defeat to Senegal in the African Cup of Nations final.

The turbulent and rowdy African Cup of Nations final ended with Senegal as the winner, but it could easily have gone Morocco’s way. Brahim Díaz’s glaring miss from the penalty spot drew criticism from around the world. This Monday, Luis Enrique came to the player’s defense: “He’s not a murderer or a bad person.”

“Brahim is a magnificent player. I know him. I called him up for a match with the national team. He’s an exceptional player and a great person. It’s unfair. I can understand that it’s hard to accept. This is a sport where you have to show you can win and lose. It’s no big deal. If you win or lose, it’s no big deal,” said the PSG coach.

He then added: “The most important thing is the values you can show to young people. He’s not a murderer or a bad person. We must show respect. Right now, it’s a moment of pressure.”

Finally, the Spaniard argued that several legendary players have made similar decisions and that whether you score or miss changes criticism to praise: “Today we talked about that goal. Everyone is talking about Brahim. But I remember Zidane. Zidane, who is a football god. He did it in a World Cup final. I also remember Sergio Ramos, who did a panenka in an important match. Many players do that. When you score those penalties, everyone applauds and no one says anything. And when you miss, there are a lot of bad opinions about a player.”

In fact, the nonchalant way he took the penalty led to a lot of speculation and theories that the miss was intentional. However, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy gave his blunt opinion: “No, of course not. Let’s be serious. Do you really think that, with a minute left and a country waiting for this title for 50 years, we could agree to that?” Mendy told beIN Sports. He added: “He wanted to score and I deserve the credit for saving it, nothing more.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.