Inter Milan boss Leonardo was in shock after their 5-2 home thumping by Champions League opponents Schalke.
The Nerazzurri had started with a magnificent Dejan Stankovic volley from the centre-circle in the opening 25 seconds, but it all went downhill after the break as Schalke emerged 5-2 winners.
"It has been a terrible week," croaked the Coach just three days after a 3-0 Milan derby defeat in Serie A.
"We started so well, it was impossible to even imagine it would end this way. Schalke had six or seven shots on goal, scoring with five of them."
Having been in the running for three trophies up until Saturday night, the season seems to be slipping away from Inter.
"We had to arrive at this moment the way we have done. Then, after that, many things happened and for a number of reasons some elements did not work. Theoretically we played in a manner that covered the defence to spark counter-attacks, but at a certain stage we lost our balance for many reasons.
"It's a bit unrealistic to try to overturn this result in the second leg, but we have to play and see what happens.
"Whoever plays football must always be optimistic. I make my choices, do my work and put in my spirit. We took the right approach today, then in the second half those two goals changed the game."
