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BRAHIM DIAZ’S FAILED PANENKA: THE MOMENT ARROGANCE HANDED SENEGAL THE 2026 AFCON TROPHY

Brahim Diaz was left in tears after his failed panenka cost Morocco the AFCON final. We break down the chaos and Senegal's win.

Brahim Diaz’s failed panenka: The moment arrogance handed Senegal the 2026 AFCON trophy
Brahim Diaz is in tears as Mendy catches his "disastrous" Panenka penalty

Brahim Diaz, once a Manchester City striker, broke down in tears after blowing a golden chance in the wild Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco. With just minutes left, he tried a Panenka penalty, only for Edouard Mendy to read him perfectly and save it.

The match had already gone off the rails. Senegal’s manager, Pape Thiaw, furious over a controversial penalty call, yanked his team off the field. The drama started when referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo first ruled out Senegal’s opening goal, then handed Morocco a penalty after a messy tangle in the box. Fans waited through a 13-minute delay as emotions boiled over.

When play finally resumed, Diaz stepped up with a chance to become a Moroccan hero. He went for that audacious chip down the middle, but Mendy barely flinched. The miss was the last kick before extra time. Diaz’s teammates rushed to console him, but he looked crushed. Coach Walid Regragui argued with him during the break and, just eight minutes into extra time, pulled him from the game.

Cameras caught Diaz on the bench, hiding his face in his shirt, tears streaming down as he watched. Not long after, Pape Gueye smashed home a stunning goal for Senegal, finally breaking the deadlock.

The final was pure chaos. Earlier, Abdoulaye Seck got whistled for a collision with Achraf Hakimi, which sparked more outrage from the Senegal side. At the opposite end, Malick Diouf was called for dragging Diaz down at a corner, leading to the penalty drama that stopped the game until the 111th minute. Diaz’s miss turned out to be the turning point—Gueye’s goal sealed Senegal’s second AFCON title.

Senegal’s victory had an extra edge, too. The days leading up to the final were marked by accusations from Senegal that Morocco, as hosts, had tried to sabotage their preparations. Thiaw didn’t hold back after the match: “What happened was abnormal,” he said. “The players were in danger. Anything could have happened because of malicious people.”

CAF, the tournament organisers, fired back with a statement defending their handling of everything. They insisted every team got equal treatment, and when Senegal complained about their training pitch, CAF stepped in and sorted it out right away. Senegal also got to pick their own hotel and received their ticket quota for the final. CAF wrapped up by wishing both teams luck for a final that reached fans in 180 countries.

CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH

Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.

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Ronaldo "considering leaving Saudi Arabia" despite signing 2027 contract extension

Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.

Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.

Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.

Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.

And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.

N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY

N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?

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Paperwork error halts N’Golo Kante’s transfer to Turkey at final hour

N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.

Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.

Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.

Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.

Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.

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