The newspapers made uncomfortable reading for Barcelona's players on Friday after the Primera Liga leaders lost 4-0 away to modest Getafe to miss out on a place in the King's Cup final.
"Azulgrana disaster" said daily El Mundo, while the front page of daily Sport said: "Failure. This smells like the end of an era."
Barca had held a 5-2 lead from the semi-final, first leg but their opponents, who kept repeating the phrase 'miracles are possible' throughout the week, were roared on to a memorable and unlikely victory.
Two goals from Daniel Guiza and one apiece from Francisco Casquero and Angel Vivar Dorado were thoroughly deserved and left Frank Rijkaard's side looking ragged, impotent and in danger of ending the season without any silverware at all.
Catalan daily La Vanguardia wrote: "Absolutely shameful. It was an inexcusable, inexplicable and embarrassing shipwreck."
"After being demolished in the European Super Cup, surprised in the World Club championship and overcome in the Champions League, Barca threw another title in the bin in a pathetic and self-destructive manner."
Barcelona still top the league by two points from Real Madrid, with five games remaining, but their stuttering form strikes a strong contrast with Real's title challenge.
Their surging arch-rivals have closed on them with just one defeat in 12 games threatening to deny Barca a third consecutive league title.
There is a sense of deja vu about Barca's decline from the all-conquering heroes of last season, when their problems are compared with those that led to the collapse of Florentino Perez's 'Galactico' project at Real.
Press reports of ego-driven dressing room divisions, punishing promotional tours in the pre-season, and more recently a midweek trip to play a friendly in Egypt and a complacency on and off the pitch all look familiar.
They will need to pick themselves up quickly with a win at home against relegation-threatened Real Betis on Sunday, if they are not to lose out on the league title as well.
The future of Rijkaard and some of the club's leading players will be very much under the spotlight in the run in to the end of the season.
La Vanguardia said: "The fallout from this heavy blow is difficult to predict."
After a night of revelry, Getafe will be able to contemplate a first ever trip into European competition.
With final rivals Sevilla holding third place in the league and unlikely to slip out of the top four, they could afford to lose and still earn a place in the UEFA Cup, as Sevilla look set to secure a Champions League place.
Whether Schuster will still be there to lead them for next season remains to be seen, as Thursday night's heroics added to his burgeoning reputation.