Penalty Playbook: Morocco Names a Three‑Man Lineup for Future Penalties
22 December 2025
Penalty Playbook Takes Shape for Morocco
Following Sufian Rahimi's missed spot kick against Comoros in the Africa Cup of Nations opener, the coach's locker-room talk shifts toward future penalty duties.
Past misses haunt the memory
The debate echoes older failures, with Ivory Coast's edition seeing Hakimi miss a late equalizer against South Africa and Egypt's outing featuring Hakim Ziyech's late miss against Benin.
Rahimi's misfortune and a tactical reset
Rahimi's miss is framed as a continental sting, contrasting Morocco's World Cup heroics in shootouts against Spain.
The three named takers
Sources say the future penalties will be taken by Ibrahim Diaz, then Ayoub El-Kabi, followed by Azzedine Ounahi.
Historical note
Morocco also earned a penalty in the 1988 opener on home soil, converted by Miri Kremo.
In short, plan or not, the ball will decide who smiles last.
And if penalties ever go missing again, well, at least the net will have a good excuse.
