'Total failure', 'eternal ridicule' - Spanish press react to shock Barca exit

Spanish newspapers have been predictably unsympathetic towards Barcelona after their Champions League elimination at the hands of Roma on Tuesday.

Barca took a commanding 4-1 lead into the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico, making Ernesto Valverde's men overwhelming favourites to reach the semi-finals.

However, Edin Dzeko gave Roma the lead after just six minutes, before a Daniele De Rossi penalty just before the hour mark left Barca in a precarious position.

And, with eight minutes to go, Kostas Manolas sent a glancing header into the far side of the net, wrapping up the 3-0 win that saw the Serie A side through on away goals.

Unsurprisingly, the Spanish press have not been kind to Barca in response to the shock elimination.

Failure without excuses - Sport

It might have been anticipated that the Catalan media would go a little easier on Valverde's side, but Barcelona-based Sport had "Fracaso sin excusas" splashed across their front page. Clear and to the point.

Total failure in Europe - Marca

It would have been just as shocking as the match had Marca - typically associated with Real Madrid - not stuck the boot in. Their "Fracaso total en Europa" takes things a step further than Sport. It is not just a failure, it is a "total" failure.

Unexpected cule blow - AS

AS, another Madrid-based paper, have not gone in quite as hard as their colleagues. "Batacazo cule" highlights the unforeseen shock for Barca fans, known locally as cules.

The eternal ridicule of Barca - El Pais

The website of national paper El Pais leads with "El eterno ridiculo del Barca", suggesting the embarrassment of letting their commanding lead slip will last forever.

Romantada - L'Equipe

Perhaps the cleverest front page in Europe looking at the game comes from France's L'Equipe. Their "Romantada" headline is solid pun on Roma and the Spanish word remontada, meaning comeback.