Key Highlights
- A VAR review concluded that El Hadji Malick Diouf had fouled the Real Madrid forward, although it was a soft call in the extreme. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere were then over 15 minutes between the award of the penalty and Diaz's kick being saved by Edouard Mendy.
- This was largely on account of Senegal boss Pape Thiaw calling his players off the field.
- Star forward Sadio Mane appeared to be a key figure in persuading his teammates to continue with the match. For better or worse, it was a moment of football history that will be discussed for decades. MORE:AFCON final descends into farce as Senegal leave field in protest over Morocco penaltyDid Brahim Diaz miss the penalty on purpose?One theory doing the rounds online afterwards was that Diaz missed the penalty deliberately as a sort of placatory measure to persuade Senegal to continue with the game. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPlayers electing not to score a penalty after an obviously incorrect call is not entirely without precedent in football history. Take the example below of Denmark player Morten Wieghorst, who slotted a penalty wide on purpose during a friendly match with Iran after opposition defender Alireza Nikbakht Vahedi picked up the ball in his area, thinking the referee had blown for halftime. However, with due respect to the Carlsberg Cup, the stakes in an AFCON final were somewhat higher, with Morocco seeking their first title since 1976.
- The theory that Diaz missed intentionally also neglects the fact he appealed vociferously and continuously to be awarded a penalty in the first place. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlso, if he wanted to miss on purpose, why risk chipping the penalty on target?
- In reality, the former AC Milan player decided on a risky strategy for a high-pressure kick and got it badly wrong, as evidenced by how devastated he looked afterwards. How Senegal, Morocco reacted to Brahim Diaz penalty missA key aspect that added to the conspiratorial talk surrounding Diaz's botched penalty was the relative lack of reaction from the other players.
