MILAN – Close to 50,000 spectators were at the Stadio Meazza to welcome Inter for the first home fixture of the 2012/13 Europa League campaign. Javier Zanetti spoke to Inter Channel after the match and explained the disappointment he felt: "Yes, we're disappointed with the result and for our fans. In our heads we all pictured this game turning out very differently but unfortunately it wasn't to be. We had the chances to score but weren't able to put them away. The most important thing is that we've achieved our target and now we can look forward."
Speaking just minutes before his 39th birthday, the captain admitted that "Hajduk deserved to win the match. They came here with their game plan but they needed an extra goal – the one we got in the first leg that enabled us to reach the next round. We must analyse and learn from all the mistakes we made but there's no cause for concern because we're only at the beginning. We're feeling the effects of the work we're carrying out. There are good things and we've still got a lot to improve on. As we doing intensive training? Yes, it has been intensive since the 3-0 win because it's part of the schedule that was laid out. Let's not forget that we've played our first competitive fixture on 2 August so perhaps we should have expected a dip. Still, we'll push on now."
