Eliman Ndiaye Criticizes Ibrahim Díaz's 'Panenka' Penalty in Africa Cup Final

In a recent interview, Eliman Ndiaye, a player for the Senegal national team, voiced his feelings of "disrespect" towards Ibrahim Díaz of Morocco, following Díaz's execution of a "Panenka" penalty during the Africa Cup of Nations final last month.

Ndiaye stated to the British newspaper "The Times" that his team felt confident in their victory after that moment, saying:

"We were telling each other that he was going to miss, and I was praying that he would fail... and he did. We didn’t react and just kept playing."

Chaos erupted at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco, prompting Senegal's players to temporarily leave the field.

However, the team quickly returned to continue the match, and Papé Gueye scored the winning goal in the first half of extra time, securing the title for Senegal.

Regarding Díaz's penalty, Ndiaye added:

"I felt a sort of disrespect; I’m not saying he intended to belittle us, but perhaps he wanted to become a star after everything that happened. I don’t understand why he did it, but it worked in our favor, and we knew after that we would win."

Ndiaye also reflected on the moment of leaving the field:

"We went a bit crazy; we were completely distracted. It’s a final, and we were minutes away from losing. We felt it was unfair, then Sadio Mané said, ‘Let’s go back and play the game.’"

When asked about the possibility of a similar reaction in the future, Ndiaye remarked:

"I can’t predict the future, but one should be treated fairly. Maybe we acted correctly, maybe not, but we wanted to ensure that things were fair after all we had done in the tournament."

The final between Morocco and Senegal also saw confrontations among players, sparking extensive debate in sports circles, while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) rejected Morocco's request to strip Senegal of the title, imposing fines exceeding one million dollars.