A hapless footballer accidentally destroyed a major trophy after triumphing in a cup final.
Argentine winger Pablo Solari helped Spartak Moscow lift the Russian Cup.
However, his clumsy celebration saw the trophy smash on the ground.
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The 24-year-old former Talleres forward was celebrating Spartak’s 4-3 penalty shootout victory over FK Krasnodar at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday, as reported by What’s The Jam.
They won the shootout after a 1-1 draw in which Solari scored.
Footage shows Solari lifting the silverware before it suddenly cracked and broke apart, with the base and lid separating as he held it aloft.
The player insisted the damage was unintentional: “Honestly, I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t do it on purpose,” he said.
“The trophy was really heavy. I don’t think I lacked the strength to hold it; it just happened that way.”
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Spartak claimed their fifth Russian Cup title in the competition’s history, yet the moment was quickly overshadowed by the trophy mishap.
The embarrassing footage has since been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, turning the winger from match-winner to accidental villain in a matter of seconds.
It is not the first time the Russian Cup trophy has been smashed.
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According to reports, it has been damaged five times in the 21st century – once during a public display and four times in victory celebrations.
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