a miss is as good as a mile - If you almost hit a target, you’re still as far off as if yo

If you almost hit a target, you’re still as far off as if you missed it completely. A near miss is just a fancy way of saying you failed.

I almost hit the bullseye, but I still missed the whole board.

I almost got the job, but I still got rejected.

I almost beat my friend, but I still lost.