Few moments in football test a player’s nerve like a penalty kick, where a single strike can define an entire career as eternal glory or a wound that never fully heals.
In the AFCON 2025 final in Rabat, Moroccan star Brahim Diaz stepped up for a decisive spot-kick against Senegal and failed with an ill-judged, showy attempt, instantly turning from national hero into the man many blamed for a shattered dream.
Diaz had scored 5 goals in his first AFCON, carrying Morocco to a long-awaited home final, but that miss now threatens to overshadow his tournament. His failed penalty places him in a “historical cage”, alongside some of the most haunting misses in major competitions.
The piece recalls Roberto Baggio’s famous skyed penalty for Italy in the 1994 World Cup final and Mohamed Salah’s miss against Senegal in the 2022 World Cup playoff, both decisive in crushing qualification hopes. It then revisits Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni’s misses in the 2022 World Cup final, Jadon Sancho’s Euro 2020 heartbreak and the long-term impact of the abuse that followed.
Also highlighted are David Trezeguet’s miss in the 2006 World Cup final, John Terry’s slip in the 2008 Champions League final, and the psychological journeys of Stuart Pearce and Gareth Southgate after their own infamous failures.
Diaz has now entered this unforgiving historical gallery, and that only time, resilience and future triumphs can soften the memory of his miss against Senegal.
