AFCON 2025 Final: Footage Discloses What Regragui Told Brahim Diaz After Winger Missed Penalty
- Brahim Diaz missed a decisive penalty in the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations against Senegal
- Diaz took the penalty after a long stoppage time, after Senegal protested the penalty by walking off
- Walid Regragui was incensed on the timeline after substituting the Real Madrid star following the miss
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Footage has disclosed what Walid Regragui said to Brahim Diaz after the Moroccan winger missed a decisive penalty in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final on January 18.
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded a penalty to Morocco in the 97th minute of the AFCON 2025 final, prompting a walkout from the Senegal players.
Source: Getty Images
The match resumed 17 minutes later after Sadio Mane intervened, and Diaz missed the penalty, attempting a right-footed panenka which Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy calmly collected.
The match went into extra time, and Pape Gueye scored the winner for Senegal with a brilliant strike, which left Yassine Bounou with zero chance.
What Regragui said to Diaz
Regragui substituted Diaz immediately at the start of the extra time, and was visibly furious with Real Madrid, who sat on the bench inconsolable.
BeIN Sport caught part of Regragui’s words to the winger, as he spoke while being shielded during the short exchange between the two.
Regragui spoke aggressively to Diaz before Yousef En-Nesyri took the winger to his seat, the manager turned to his tab before saying “why did you do that?”
Regragui defends Brahim Diaz
The manager, despite his vitriol on the touchline, was calm about it during his post-match conference and instead blamed the disruption from Senegal.
“We stopped the match in the eyes of the world for 10 minutes. That didn’t help Brahim. That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit the penalty. He hit it like that, and we have to accept it,” he said as quoted by The Guardian.
Source: Getty Images
“We were one minute from being African champions. That’s football. It’s often cruel. We missed what for some was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
The miss could cost Regragui his job as the Moroccan FA is scheduled to hold talks with the manager over his future in charge of the team.
There were insinuations on social media that Diaz missed the penalty intentionally, and it was part of the reason Senegal agreed to return, but Mendy dismissed these claims.
“No, of course not. We have to be serious. Do you really think that with one minute left and a country that has been waiting 50 years for a title, we can reach an agreement?” he said, as quoted by London Evening Standard.
“He wanted to score, and I deserve credit for stopping him – that's all.”
Brahim Diaz reacts after penalty miss
Legit.ng reported that Brahim Diaz reacted after missing the decisive penalty for Morocco against Senegal during the AFCON 2025 final.
The Real Madrid winger published a statement on his social media pages, taking full responsibility for the final loss and apologising to the Moroccan people.
Source: Legit.ng
