Brahim Diaz's Failed Panenka Penalty in AFCON Final Costs Punter Massive Bet

Brahim Diaz's controversial penalty during Morocco's loss to Senegal in the AFCON final stopped one gambler from receiving a massive payday.

The Africa Cup of Nations came to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday evening as hosts Morocco lost 1-0 to Senegal in the final.

Chaotic scenes at the end of normal time saw Senegal's players walk off the pitch following the full-time whistle, refusing to continue to play the match despite the scoreline being 0-0.

The reason for Senegal's protest came after referee Jean Jacques Ndala gave a spot-kick to the hosts in the final moments of injury time, with Diaz stepping up to take the shot against Edouard Mendy in what would be the final kick of the match.

However, the Real Madrid star failed to perform under the enormous pressure as his decision to chip the ball down the middle backfired as Mendy easily caught the ball, costing one punter a huge return.

As he stepped up to take the penalty, Diaz had the chance to end his country's 50-year wait to lift the AFCON trophy, but what resulted was a truly embarrassing moment that transformed the match.

But Diaz isn't the only one that will be frustrated by his panenka effort, as X user Lewis Gorrell shared his betslip from the match that could have paid out a massive £2,005 from just a fiver staked had Diaz found the back of the net.

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In order to receive the payout, Gorrell needed Diaz to be the first goalscorer in the match, a safe bet given the fact that the forward was the tournament's top scorer with five goals

Of course he would have been the first to score if he had netted the penalty with the scoreline at 0-0, but his attempt to outsmart former Chelsea keeper Mendy was a spectacular failure.

After this, the bet also required Diaz to be booked, something which would almost certainly have happened if the Real Madrid forward got carried away in celebrating the historic goal and took his shirt off.

Sharing a photo of the betslip, Gorrell wrote: "That shirt would’ve been coming off and he would’ve been carded. Everyone needs to see my suffering."

That shirt would’ve been coming off and he would’ve been carded. Everyone needs to see my suffering😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/dSMjTE8A9o

— Lew (@Gorrell_Lewis) January 18, 2026

Eventually, Senegal's players returned to the pitch, with Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye then scoring the winning goal in the fourth minute of extra time to seal a second AFCON win in five years for the Lions.