Achraf Hakimi: Fans Compare Morocco Star’s Heartbreaking Penalty Miss to Asamoah Gyan’s 2010 Pain

• Fans have drawn comparisons between Achraf Hakimi's penalty miss and Asamoah Gyan's iconic miss
• Hakimi had his chance hit the crossbar, reminiscent of Gyan's crucial miss at the 2010 World Cup
• Morocco's exit at the ongoing 2023 AFCON means no side from North Africa made it past the last 16

Football fans are drawing parallels between Achraf Hakimi's late penalty miss in Morocco's 2023 AFCON round of 16 clash with South Africa and Asamoah Gyan's iconic miss in the 2010 World Cup.

Despite passing a late fitness test to participate in the match against Bafana Bafana, Hakimi became the focal point as South Africa pulled off a major upset at the ongoing biennial competition.

Morocco, considered favourites to win their first AFCON crown since 1976, were sent packing in the knockout phase by a resilient South African side, as cited by CAFOnline.

AFCON 2023: Ghana Boss Chris Hughton Assesses Mohammed Kudus’ Performance vs Egypt

Football

Evidence Makgopa's goal and Teboho Mokoena's sensational free-kick sealed a 2-0 victory for South Africa over the highest-ranked African nation by FIFA, The Guardian reports.

While South Africa's performance earned accolades, Hakimi's penalty miss was a key talking point.

Comparing Hakimi's miss to Asamoah Gyan's

Initially ignored by referee Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail, the Sudanese official, in collaboration with VAR, reversed the decision and awarded Morocco a penalty after a South African defender was deemed to have handled the ball.

The PSG right-back took the spot kick with five minutes left, but unfortunately, his shot struck the crossbar, evoking memories of a similar incident at the 2010 World Cup.

In the 2010 Mundial, Ghana had the opportunity to become the first African side to reach the semifinals, but Asamoah Gyan's unforgettable miss occurred.

The revered striker, who had previously scored two penalties in the same tournament, saw his effort hit the crossbar in the final moments of the match against Uruguay, leading to Ghana's eventual loss in the subsequent post-match penalty shootout.

Ranking Bafana Bafana's Top 6 goals scored at the Africa Cup of Nations between 1996 and 2019

Football

How fans reacted

The reminiscent nature of Hakimi's miss has prompted fans to reflect on the painful moment from the 2010 World Cup.

@AmoMensahEvans wrote:

"Hakimi Gyan… what a miss."

@asen_timon appeared to infer that Hakimi's miss reminded him of Gyan:

"This Hakimi Penalty Miss remained me of 1 person."

@sweet_heuy suggested there was no difference between the two spot-kicks:

"Same thing p3p33p3."

@tessilicious said of Hakimi's miss:

"Yes, that’s true. I remember Ghana against Uruguay."

South Africa fans celebrates Morocco humbling

Sports Brief also reported that South Africans are elated following Bafana Bafana's significant upset at the Africa Cup of Nations, eliminating Morocco.

The victory propels South Africa to the quarterfinals, where they are set to face Cape Verde on Saturday, February 3.

The unexpected triumph over one of the tournament favourites has ignited celebrations among Bafana fans on social media.