Olaleye IDOWU
Former Chelsea attacker, Solomon Kalou, has slammed Moroccan forward, Brahim Diaz, for wasting the opportunity that could have seen his side win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
Diaz missed a spot kick in the very last minute of the full-time, opting for a weak Panenka after he was brought down in the eighteen-yard box.
Senegal went on to defeat Morocco and win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as AFCON.
The second half was tilting towards a 0-0 until the referee disallowed Ismaila Sarr’s header for a foul on Achraf Hakimi.
In the 97th minute, the Atlas Lions were awarded a penalty. After a lot of tension, which saw the Senegalese players walk off the pitch, Diaz’s effort from the spot was saved by Edouard Mendy.
Pape Gueye then stunned Morocco in the first half of extra time with a sublime left-footed finish, to ensure the West Africans emerged champions.
Speaking on SuperSport after the game, the former Ivory Coast International said, “He’s been doing great in the tournament itself. This is the moment that you need to be a hero in your country. And then you do that. I’m sure the coaches got it, because you could see the way he spoke to him.
“There’s an opportunity, because I thought another was going to take it, because the last penalties, he took the winning penalty [against Nigeria]. But then again, you see this.”
Nigeria already won the third-place match against Egypt on Saturday.
