Nigeria, Jan. 20 -- The morning after Morocco's Africa Cup of Nations dream slipped away, Brahim Diaz chose accountability over silence.

Still carrying the weight of a missed penalty that proved decisive in the final against Senegal, the Real Madrid midfielder took to Instagram on Monday with a message that laid bare the pain of defeat, and the resolve of a player determined to repay his country's faith.

"My soul is aching," Diaz wrote. "I dreamt of this title because of all the love you have given me, for every message, for every show of support that made me feel like I'm not alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all."

It was a raw admission from a player who had carried much of Morocco's attacking burden througho...