Sergio Busquets had no complaints as Barcelona were dumped out of the Champions League on Wednesday, stunned by a Roma side who the midfielder conceded were better in every way.
Roma trailed 4-1 going into the second leg but goals from Edin Dzeko, Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas helped them turnaround the tie at the Stadio Olimpico as they reached the semifinals via away goals.
La Liga leaders Barca have now exited Europe in the last eight in each of the last three seasons since they won the competition in 2015.
They remain 11 points clear at the top of the league and have a Copa del Rey final against Sevilla to come this month, but that didn't mask their disappointment in Rome as their treble dream escaped them.
"[Roma] pinned us back and we didn't know how to react, how to create chances, we were poorly positioned... it was everything [that was wrong]," Busquets told reporters after the game.
"And in the end, they got the result and we didn't. It's a sad way to go out, especially after the result we had in the first leg. But [the game] went badly, Roma were superior in every way. It's a really sad night, it's disappointing for all of us."
Barcelona have now lost in the quarterfinal in four of the past five years, with the only exception being their trophy-winning campaign in 2014-15.
And Busquets was unable to put a positive spin on the defeat, suggesting the team had failed to learn from last year's elimination at the hands of Juventus at the same stage.
"It's another negative experience, I would be lying if I said it could serve for something because last season we went out in a similar way, albeit in the first leg, not the second," Busqets added.
"Any [positive] words now would be empty. It's tough. There's nothing else to say because we are out of the Champions League and that's not something we wanted to happen."
The loss was particularly hard to take for captain Andres Iniesta, who admitted it could be his last ever appearance in the Champions League.
Iniesta, who will turn 34 in May, is weighing up an offer from China and must communicate to Barca whether or not he will still be with the club next season by the end of April.
"It's a possibility, that's why it's so tough to take.," he said when asked if he would ever represent Barca in Europe again. "But it's tough to take for everyone. There's lots of excitement surrounding this competition and we have failed again."
Like Busquets, though, Iniesta admitted Barca's performance got what it deserved.
"It's a painful way to go out because no one expected it with the lead we had," he added. "But when you don't do things well, when you make a lot of mistakes and when you don't adapt to the game, this happens.
"It's a huge disappointment after the season we have had until now. It's hard to take. There's little else to say."