This time the feeling surrounding Barcelona was despair, not anger. The Catalans are on the verge of Champions League elimination after being thrashed 3-0 by Juventus in Turin on Tuesday, and few believe lightning can strike twice.

Having pulled off the largest comeback in the competition against Paris SG in the last 16, overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit to progress 6-5 on aggregate, Barcelona must produce a similar result at home against Juventus next week if they are to reach the semi-finals.

Against the Parisians Barcelona always believed they had a chance of going through, with their wealth of experience against PSG’s relative naivety, their top level stars against a young, promising, but erratic crop of players.

But, wily and hardened, the Old Lady refused to allow Barcelona room to breathe at the Juventus Stadium. While in La Liga opponents sometimes sit back and watch Barcelona put on a show, partly out of respect and partly out of fear, Juventus displayed neither tendency.

Coach Luis Enrique seemed devastated after the match, with his chances of a final European hurrah before he leaves left in tatters.

“It doesn’t matter if I consider the result fair or not, the first half was a shipwreck,” he said.

“It was almost like the third half of the Paris St Germain game – which is serious, really serious. I find it difficult to believe in the comeback, more difficult than in Paris.”