Mendy Breaks Silence: Diaz Did Not Intentionally Miss the Final Penalty

AFCON Final: Mendy Breaks Silence

Edouard Mendy, Senegal's goalkeeper, ends the debate about whether Ibrahim Diaz deliberately missed the late penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.

Penalty Drama and the Trophy's Path

Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time spot kick in the second half, triggering protests from Senegal and a brief walk off from the players. After the restart, Diaz attempted a Panenka, but Mendy's save was clean and decisive, fueling talk that the miss was intentional — a claim Mendy dismissed outright.

In comments carried by the Spanish sports daily Sport, Mendy said Definitely not. He added Let's be real, do you think with one minute left and a country waiting 50 years for the title, we would agree on something like that? He then closed with Diaz wanted to score; I did my job by stopping him. The Senegalese side eventually won 1-0 after extra time to lift the trophy.

During the final, the match went into extra time and Senegal clinched the title with a narrow goal. This is the kind of moment where defenders become heroes and penalties become plot twists.

Punchline 1: If drama were a goalkeeper, it would hire Mendy for last-minute saves. Punchline 2: Diaz’s Panenka got benched by reality — this time the script had a save, not a spectacle.