The tens of thousands of fans had filled the air at the open-air ancient Roman stadium with the sounds of cheering, firecrackers and vuvuzela trumpets.
But thousands began streaming out in the second half well before the bitter end, with their flags rolled up and their heads shaking in disbelief.
"I feel defeated. The will was there but they were tired," said 23-year-old Fabio in a blue Italy shirt as he walked away with a group of friends.
"We did our best but I was hoping for better. Still, it was a good achievement," he said, as some fans started a chant that quickly petered out.
Twenty-year-old Lorenza tried to put a brave face on the 4-0 defeat saying: "I'm a bit sad but they were two great teams. Spain too!"
With his Italian flag face paint wearing off after a sweltering night in the Italian capital, Lorenzo, 21, also attempted to stay upbeat.
"I'm disappointed of course but we have to pick ourselves up! I'm very confident about their chances at the next World Cup" in 2014, he said.
Prime Minister Mario Monti, who attended the game in Kiev, spoke on public television channel Rai Uno with words of encouragement for the country.
"I went to see the players in the changing rooms and I told them that they made us dream. Tonight we woke up but we have to be proud of them," he said. AFP.
Were you also disappointed at Italy's performance? Does the number of goals really matter? What other experience did you have during the tournament?
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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