BELGRADE, June 17: Serbia & Montenegro's 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Argentina at the World Cup was received as a national catastrophe at home Saturday, with newspapers slamming the side across their front pages.

“Defeated and humiliated,” read the headline in the influential Politika daily, underlying the fact that the defeat was “the worst in our history at such championships.”

“They disgraced Serbia,” read a banner headline in the daily Press written over a photo of desperate Serbia & Montenegro's players after the match.

“Only five minutes were needed to spoil the mood of tens of thousands Serbia & Montenegro's football fans, a half of hour to get them into depression and 90 minutes to leave them feeling outraged,” the daily said.

Almost all Belgrade-based newspapers published photos of desperate or tearful fans watching the game at squares and open cafes in the capital.

“We have only ourselves to blame for what happened yesterday, regardless of the strength of the former world champions” Argentina, the sport daily Sportski Zurnal said.

“We were flying high and that's why the fall was so painful. Yesterday's shame in Gelsenkirchen brought us down to earth with a bump,” it said, accusing the coach Ilija Petkovic of having making a mistake before the match.

Vecernje Novosti daily said the game was a “tango for everybody who enjoys football, but a total disaster for fans of our team.

“It turned out that the difference between the wishes and the capabilities of our team at this World Cup was too big,” it said.—AFP