Phrrhic victory

The term Phrrhic victory refers to a victory that costs more than the victor can afford, such as a key player being injured in a sports win. It comes from the comment, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined," made by King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC during the Pyrrhic War.