Moroccan striker Mehdi Balouk incredible miss leaves fans stunned

A moment of sheer disbelief unfolded in Morocco’s top flight on Saturday night when striker Mehdi Balouk missed an open goal from just inches out during Yacoub El Mansour’s clash with Renaissance Zemamra.

The incident occurred in the 35th minute of the match, in what could only be described as a contender for one of the most astonishing misses ever captured on camera.

After a defensive blunder by the Zemamra goalkeeper, the ball rolled slowly toward the goal line, leaving Balouk with the simplest of tasks — a mere tap-in to double his side’s advantage.

Instead, in a moment that left players and spectators frozen in disbelief, the forward somehow struck the post from point-blank range.

The miss instantly went viral across Moroccan social media, where fans expressed shock, humour, and sympathy in equal measure.

“If there were a reverse Puskás Award for the worst miss of the season, we’d already have a winner,” joked one commentator during the live broadcast, as replays of the incident drew gasps from the crowd.

For Balouk, the only consolation came less than a minute later, when Yacoub El Mansour managed to score, extending their lead to 2–0 and easing the embarrassment somewhat.

Still, the striker’s miss overshadowed the goal, with the clip being replayed repeatedly on Moroccan sports channels throughout the evening.

Analysts later noted that the chance would have carried an almost certain Expected Goals (xG) value of 0.99 — meaning it was virtually impossible to miss.

Yet, somehow, Balouk managed to defy the odds, his shot ricocheting off the upright instead of crossing the line.

The blunder quickly drew comparisons to some of football’s most infamous open-goal misses, from Chris Iwelumo’s fumble for Scotland to Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s miss at the 2010 World Cup.

Fans were quick to point out that even the most accomplished strikers have endured similar moments of misfortune.

Despite the comic relief, the match itself proved decisive for Yacoub El Mansour, who went on to secure a convincing win.

For Balouk, however, the moment is likely to linger far longer — a clip destined to resurface whenever football fans discuss the most unbelievable misses in the sport’s history.

😱🇲🇦 Balouk vient sans doute de signer le raté de la saison ! Incroyable 😂 pic.twitter.com/trpha57x9d

— KoraMaroc (@AtKoraMaroc) November 1, 2025