He missed the hole. أخطأت إسته الحفرة

This is said of someone who aimed for something but did not attain it. It is narrated that Al-Mukhtar bin Ubaid said while he was in Kufa: “By God, I will enter Basra, I will not throw stones at its walls, then I will rule Sindh, India, and the port. By God, I am the owner of the green and white [cities], and the mosque from which water flows.” When this statement reached Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf, he said: “He missed the hole, Ibn Ubaid. By God, I am the owner of that.”

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This meaning is echoed in English proverbs and expressions about someone who exaggerates their ambition and makes empty threats, only to fail and achieve nothing, or someone who "sold the bear's skin before hunting it." Among the closest are:

"Pride comes before a fall."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

"He bit off more than he could chew."

"Great boast, little roast." This is said of someone who makes many promises and talks but doesn't deliver.

And the closest to the spirit of the story—where Mukhtar promised to rule Basra, Sindh, and India but didn't achieve what he said—is:

"Great boast, little roast."

Or, in a similar Arabic expression:

"The mountain labored and brought forth a mouse."

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 يضرب لمن رام شيئاً فلم ينله يروى أن المختار بن عبيد قال وهو بالكوفة والله لأدخلن البصرة لا أرمى دنونها بكثاب ثم لأملكن السند والهند والبند أنا والله صاحب الخضراء والبيضاء والمسجد ينبع منه الماء فلما بلغ هذا القول الحجاج بن يوسف قال أخطأت إست بن عبيد الحفرة أنا والله صاحب ذاك.