LISANDRO MAGALLAN'S slip could be the costliest in football history - after he denied Ajax a place in the Champions League final. Dutch champions Ajax were heading for a date with Liverpool next month as they entered stoppage time in their semi-final against Tottenham.
So boss Erik ten Hag decided to throw on substitute Magallan in an effort to waste some time and help tighten up his side's defence.
But the Argentine defender went on to suffer the kind of nightmare Steven Gerrard knows all too well as he lost his footing at the crucial moment to gift Spurs their heart-wrenching late winner.
When Fernando Llorente nodded down a punt upfield on the edge of the area, 25-year-old Magallan had the simple task of taking two steps forward to clear the ball away.
But the Ajax sub, who had barely touched the ball since coming on four minutes earlier, slipped on the turf and delayed his interception by a crucial second.
And that was all the time needed for Dele Alli to flick the ball into the path of Lucas Moura, who lashed his shot into the bottom corner and snatched a place in the final.
That one moment of losing balance ultimately decided the outcome of the thrilling match and cost Ajax a place in Madrid on June 1.
That slip proved just as decisive as Liverpool captain Gerrard's when he was trying to lead his club to the Premier League title five years ago.
The Reds were in control of their own destiny in the title race in 2014 when the midfielder lost his footing in the clash against Chelsea, allowing Demba Ba to open the scoring in a 2-0 win for the Blues at Anfield.
Gerrard admits he is still haunted by his error, which allowed Manchester City to pip them to the title.
He said: “The slip happened at a bad time, it was cruel for me personally.
“There’s not a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t think about what if that didn’t happen.
"Would things have been different? Would it have turned out different? Maybe it might of, I don’t know.”
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