Morocco forward Brahim Diaz endured a painful night after missing a crucial penalty in the closing seconds of regular time during the Atlas Lions’ Africa Cup of Nations final clash against Senegal.
The missed spot kick denied Morocco the chance to secure the continental title in regulation time, as the failure forced the match into extra time. Senegal later capitalised on the momentum shift, finding the decisive goal to seal victory and lift the AFCON trophy.
Following the final whistle, Diaz became the focus of intense attention on social media. His Instagram account was flooded with reactions from fans, with a surge of comments appearing on his most recent posts shortly after the game.
Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed on his Facebook page that one of Diaz’s latest Instagram posts attracted more than 300,000 comments after the missed penalty in the AFCON final, where the Moroccan star had been on the brink of becoming a national hero.
The attention was not limited to a single post. One image, taken in 2023 and showing Diaz alongside Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to mark his return to the club, also drew heavy engagement, with many comments referencing the final.
A significant number of the reactions mocked the outcome of the match, Morocco’s failure to win the title, and Diaz’s role in the defeat following the penalty miss, compounding an already difficult moment for the Moroccan international.
