I don't remember Zod being very willing to lose that ship either but it didn't stop it from happening. Besides, it's not about Zod, it's about Superman. Like I said, he never made any conscious effort to try to get Zod away from the people. He didn't try any more than he tried to stop that truck. And given that the people were the ones the most at risk, he could have at least done that. It doesn't matter if Superman has only been in costume for a day or a thousand, the best qualities of his character need to be on show when it matters the most and in that fight, they weren't.