Italian media on Thursday were quick to deem Italy's football team "ugly," after its shock 3-2 defeat to Slovakia, causing the team to "deservedly" leave the World Cup tournament.

"Kicked out in the first round, like the other Berlin finalist, the ridiculous and mutinous France. We go home amid the greyness and depression of a dull group that has no future," Corriere della Sera wrote on its website.

"Ugly Italy: we take three (goals) and go home," titled Corriere.

On its website, daily La Repubblica said the team playing today was "the worst Italy team in the past 50 years, or possibly the worst ever, deservedly leaving the World Cup: the end of a generation and of a dream."

The defeat also meant Italy suffered the extra humiliation of finishing bottom of the group, which was won by Paraguay, with even little New Zealand ahead of them in third spot.

"Humiliated by Slovakia, we go home," titled the country's main sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport on its website.

Italy "loses against a modest opponent that outplayed the Azzurri at least until the last 15 minutes, unrecognisable even when compared to the passable game against Paraguay and the modest one against New Zealand," Gazzetta wrote.

"Almost nothing worked tonight in Johannesburg. Not even an end of the game with its heart out," wrote La Gazzetta.

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