Humbled FCB left ‘to salvage what we can’

Karl Heinz Rummenigge called it “a massive humiliation”, Jürgen Klinsmann spoke of his side being “taken apart”, and Christian Lell felt Bayern had been “taught a lesson”. The Munich camp unanimously acknowledged Barcelona’s effortless superiority in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg, the home side’s 4-0 victory at Camp Nou effectively ending Bayern’s interest in Europe for this season.

“This result means we’re out of the competition. That’s clear enough,” a visibly dazed Rummenigge pronounced in his speech to the traditional midnight banquet at the Rey Juan Carlos I hotel. It had been a “shocking performance,“ the chairman continued. “Especially in the first half, we were given a lesson, and that lesson hurt. I’m not sure what I feel the most - shock, sorrow or anger about what we’ve witnessed this evening. It’s a very bitter moment.”