"I can understand it's hard to accept and it was a bizarre thing to do. Everyone can see that. But this is a sport, nothing else. Nothing happens whether your win or lose... The important thing is the value that you can give to young people, without exaggerating. He is neither an assassin nor a bad person. You have to respect how difficult it is to be a young player. It's a difficult time. There's a lot of pressure."
"I also remember Sergio Ramos who took a Panenka during a very important game [Euro 2012 game against Portugal]. Lots of players have done it. When you score that type of penalty, nobody says anything and everybody applauds. But when you miss, there are lots of negative opinions about that player, and he is a magnificent player."
Brahim Díaz missed a stoppage-time panenka penalty after a 17-minute delay caused by Senegal's protests, a miss that would have secured the AFCON for Morocco. Pape Gueye scored in extra time to give Senegal a 1-0 victory in Rabat. Luis Enrique described the penalty as bizarre but urged perspective, emphasized the value given to young players, and insisted Díaz is neither an assassin nor a bad person. Enrique referenced other high-profile panenkas by Zinedine Zidane and Sergio Ramos, noting applause for successes and harsh criticism for failures, and said he feels bad for Díaz.
Read at ESPN.com
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