The Panenka penalty moment was what characterised one of the most chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final with the dream of Morocco shattering in the most agonising way possible. Brahim Diaz was literally in tears following a dramatic loss to Senegal, which he lost on a spot-kick in Rabat.
The match ended in a draw in the stoppage time when a VAR review determined that a penalty should be awarded to Morocco towards the end of normal time. The ruling created a huge furore among the Senegalese players and personnel and prompted a prolonged delay, which interrupted the game.
Brahim Diaz eventually took up the opportunity to score the last before extra time after a lengthy delay. His planned Paneka penalty was read and trapped comfortably by Edouard Mendy, turning the tide of the match immediately to the visiting team. The miss literally dazed Morocco, who had been driving home incessantly in the presence of a partisan home audience.
Senegal recovered and took that belief to extra time, where they played more composedly and in control. The breakthrough came soon in extra time and was scored by Senegal using a long-range shot,t which eventually broke the tie.
The objective was victorious and it completed a historic AFCON victory and it was the same as the stadium fell quiet as Morocco ended its long history of not winning the continent championships.
It was afterwards admitted by Morocco coach Walid Regragui that the prolonged wait and the stress that was generated by the discharge of the penalty had upset the concentration of his players. He emphasised that the team should be able to absorb the disappointment and carry on with the construction for future tournaments.
Brahim Diaz was replaced in extra time and was even caught weeping on the bench as the last one slipped. It was later during the awards ceremony that the emotional scenes were experienced as he received the Golden Boot following his completion as the leading scorer of the tournament with five goals.
The Moroccan senior members of the team were caught on TV comforting the midfielder, who was unable to comprehend what was happening. People could see the difference between a great one-man tournament on the one hand and the one decision that characterised the result of the final struggle on the other hand.
Senegal captain Sadio Mane played a central part in settling his group mates throughout the stoppage, inciting them to get back into the field and complete the game. He took massive credit in his leadership after Senegal stayed disciplined throughout one of the most unstable AFCON finals in recent history.
Senegal was rejoicing over another continental win, and the Moroccan people were forced to think about a Panenka penalty, which would be re-enacted over the years. In the case of Brahim Diaz, it was the night when football symbolised viciousness, where genius and tragedy intertwine in one decisive strike.
