Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion on Wednesday, losing 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich after Inter Milan’s 4-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen had sealed their fate.
The 3-0 loss at Camp Nou left Xavi’s side with just four points from five games in Group C, six points behind second-placed Inter, ensuring they will drop into the Europa League.
It is the second season in a row in which five-time winners Barcelona have failed to make the Champions League last-16 having previously done it for 17 successive seasons.
This time, though, it could prove even more damaging. Barcelona spent upwards of ?130m on new signings in the summer, including the ?40m Robert Lewandowski, and their budget for the season factored in a run to the Champions League quarter-finals.
‘The dream has vanished’ – Spanish papers react
Barcelona’s meek exit from the competition prompted an angry reaction from Spain’s sports newspapers, with Catalan daily Sport labelling it a “complete failure”.