He left the pitch of the Laurent-Pokou stadium with his head down, his gaze into space, still marked by the disillusionment he had just experienced and certainly dwelling on this missed penalty in the 85th minute which could have drawn a whole another destiny.
Although comforted by his partners, the members of the staff and the songs of the Moroccan supporters present in Ivory Coast, Achraf Hakimi had difficulty hiding his sadness in the seconds which followed Morocco's defeat against South Africa in the round of 16 of the CAN, Tuesday evening (2-0).
A dejection that lives up to the expectations raised, the Atlas Lions being one of the huge favorites for the final victory, a little over a year after their historic semi-final at the 2022 World Cup.
This Wednesday, the right side (25 years old) wanted to apologize to the Moroccan people after missing his attempt which found the crossbar, while he had the equalizer at the end of his foot.
“Today is a very difficult and sad day for our elimination,” explained the PSG defender on Instagram.
I would like to apologize for the penalty, I took responsibility to help the team, but unfortunately it didn't work.
I would like to thank all the Moroccan people for their support, especially all the people who came to Côte d'Ivoire.
We will get up and come back stronger for the future!
Good luck to the South African national team for the rest of the competition.
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Eyes on the round of 16 against Real Sociedad
Those who have been around Achraf Hakimi in recent hours describe a man inevitably touched morally by this early elimination and feeling, in a certain way, responsible for this defeat following his failure on a penalty.
The Parisian right-back will now benefit from a few days of rest to digest this disappointment and recharge his batteries in anticipation of future matches with PSG.
Passing through Morocco this Wednesday with the rest of his selection partners, Hakimi should not return to his club before the end of the week, while Kylian Mbappé's partners travel to Strasbourg this Friday evening.
As had been agreed before the CAN, Luis Enrique spoke with his player and decided to let him breathe after three weeks of competition.
The Spaniard should normally count on him from next Monday or Tuesday, at the latest, in training.
The capital club will then find themselves just over a week away from their Champions League round of 16 match against Real Sociedad, played on Wednesday February 14 at the Parc des Princes.
In the meantime, the Parisians will host Brest in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France on Wednesday February 7 and Lille, on Saturday February 10, for the 21st day of Ligue 1. Enough to give them enough time to prepare for the big European meeting at the start of the year, already in the sights for Hakimi, determined to get back in shape.