Senior representatives from both Inter and Benfica were in attendance at a pre-match meeting over lunch at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter final second leg.
The delegates from Inter included President Steven Zhang, vice-President Javier Zanetti, CEO Beppe Marotta and were met by their counterparts from Benfica, including Milan legend Rui Costa, currently serving as the club’s 34th President.
Feelings of optimism and determination were prevalent on the streets of Milan as the club officials made their way from their cars to the lunch banquet.
Zanetti was among the first of the board members to arrive on Wednesday evening, met by messages of encouragement and chants of “there’s only one capitano.”
Costa was also well received, despite his obvious connections to Inter’s bitter rivals and potential semi-final opponents Milan.
There were also words of encouragement from the Inter supporters towards the club’s CEO Marotta, who was told to “bring us the Champions League” by those present.
Opinions were slightly more divided when it came to Inter’s President Zhang, with many also greeting him with great enthusiasm, but others told him he “needs to sell.”