World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni will be celebrating long into the night after Argentina's stunning penalty shoot-out triumph against France in Qatar on Sunday.
But his luck in finals has not always been so fruitful, as Liverpool discovered to their benefit in 2006.
Scaloni was part of the West Ham United team that faced the Reds at the FA Cup final in Cardiff - a match best remembered for a stunning Steven Gerrard equaliser in the 90th minute, which allowed Rafa Benitez' side to go on and take the silverware after winning a penalty shoot-out.
READ MORE: Barcelona tweet and then delete Kylian Mbappe message as Lionel Messi wins World Cup
READ MORE: Lionel Messi achieves World Cup record that can never be broken
Unfortunately for Scaloni, the former right-back had quite a part to play in the sequence of events that led to Gerrard's special goal, which is widely regarded as one of the very best in his outstanding Liverpool career.
With Reds striker Djibril Cisse struggling with cramp late in the match, Scaloni kicked the ball out of play near his own corner flag so the Frenchman could receive treatment.
Despite trailing the Hammers 3-2, Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann returned the subsequent throw-in to Scaloni, but his rushed clearance up field only went as far as Gerrard midway into the West Ham half. The Liverpool captain laid the ball off to John Arne Riise who pumped it into the box as the match ticked into four minutes of injury time. But when Danny Gabbidon's headed clearance fell back into the path of Gerrard, the Reds' talisman let rip with a 35-yard half-volley that stunned the Millennium Stadium and pulled the scores level at 3-3.
The moment was a sickener for West Ham, who were minutes away from winning their first major trophy since 1981 and reserve goal-keeper Jimmy Walker had little sympathy for his teammate Scaloni.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Walker recalls the day. He said: “Lionel Scaloni was so emotional he cried after the game. I didn’t have much sympathy for him because he cost us a winner’s medal. I looked at him and thought, ‘Of course, you should be crying. We were so close. Honestly, what was he thinking? All he had to do was kick the ball into row Z. He didn’t know about row Z before the game, but he certainly knew about it on the plane ride after!”
With no goals in extra time, the match had to be decided on spot-kicks and it was here that Liverpool' 'keeper Pepe Reina showed his true worth with three saves from Bobby Zamora, future Red Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand to hand the Reds their seventh FA Cup.
The memories are painful for Walker, who has never watched a re-run of the match.
He said: “It was tough for all of us. If Lionel lets it run out for a goal kick, Shaka [Hislop] takes his time, a bit more time wasting from the others, then the game is finished. That’s how close we were. I think Lionel panicked a little bit and the rest is hurtful history.
“I refuse to watch the game back. It’s still fresh in my mind. When I see Lionel on TV, all the memories come flooding back like, ‘That damn Lionel cost us a winner’s medal’. Then I wonder if I would’ve saved Steven Gerrard’s shot if I played. It’s all what-ifs but the not knowing is the killer. I’d love to know if that game against Liverpool changed Lionel for the better. Just in terms of how to remain calm under pressure."
Scaloni won't be thinking much about the woe of Cardiff this evening after wining the World Cup with Argentina, but the 44-year-old admitted that his life was a misery after the cup final defeat to Liverpool.
Speaking about the final before Argentina's tournament got underway in Qatar, Scaloni said: “The world came crashing down on me. I lost an FA Cup, it was partly my fault because I didn’t clear well and life changed. West Ham don’t want to sign me and I returned to Spain. That night, after the FA Cup final, it was like I didn’t want to play football anymore.”
READ NEXT
- Arthur Melo agent rubbishes Liverpool rumours and gives surprising injury update
- Liverpool sale latest as Far East investment named as 'option' for FSG
- Lionel Messi speech backfired when Liverpool left him 'really screwed up'
-
Despair for Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate as France lose to Argentina in World Cup final
- Liverpool and Chelsea 'interested' in Moises Caicedo but Brighton stance clear
