Roy Hodgson hailed an "outstanding achievement" after Fulham set-up a Europa League final against Atletico Madrid with a 2-1 victory over Hamburg.
Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera struck in the second half after Mladen Petric's stunning free-kick had given the German club a 22nd minute lead at Craven Cottage.
Fulham now face the biggest match in their 131-year history when they return to Hamburg for the final on May 12 and Hodgson insisted they had earnt their success the hard way.
"This club has had some bad times and we've looked into the abyss once or twice," he said.
"Everyone is proud that we're about to start our 10th Premier League season.
"And to have reached a Europa League final - and I don't care if you're Fulham or one of the top four - is an outstanding achievement. That will be recognised by everyone.
"I can only enjoy the moment and make sure that the glory on the players is not deflected elsewhere.
"We're in the final because we've played very, very well throughout and knocked out some very difficult teams, not least Hamburg.
"It's been a wonderful journey that I'm really proud of. The team have produced better football than we're entitled to ask of them."
Hodgson hailed the character his side showed after staging a spirited second-half fightback in their 59th match of a campaign that started in July.
"It was a great performance because it would have been so easy for us to loose our heads after the great goal they scored," he said.
"I thought we were good value for our victory and the character of this team has been proved time and time again.
"Normally success softens you and makes you less determined but that hasn't been the case with this team throughout this season.
"It's been an amazingly long season yet watching the players run around in the second half it didn't look as though we'd played 59 games this season."
Hodgson hopes Bobby Zamora will be available for the final after Fulham's top scorer, who passed a late fitness test on his Achilles injury, limped off in the 58th minute.
"The injection we gave him worked quite well but he was beginning to feel the effects in the second half," he said.
"Now we have two weeks to get him fit for the final. The problem will exist until he gets more treatment on it.
"But if I rest him for one or two of the league matches perhaps he will be fit for the final."
Interim Hamburg coach Ricardo Moniz had no complaints with the result.
"We just didn't do what we needed. We needed to go forward more," he said.
"When we were 1-0 up I told the team to get the ball to the wingers but they couldn't.
"It's a sad evening for us. We lost the game and didn't do well enough and that's that."
ends
Hodgson felt his players had pulled off a "major piece of history" in reaching next month's final in Hamburg.
"After going a goal down against the run of play, I think we've made a major piece of history here tonight. That atmosphere is something I think we'll all remember for a long time," Hodgson told ITV4.
"I'm a little bit drained of emotion at this particular moment in time - you go through a bit of a rollercoaster out there.
"I've had two and bit years now where I know the players are never going to let me down and are always going to go out and try to do the things we practise.
"In a semi-final I suppose they could be excused for losing their heads or losing their discipline, but they didn't do it tonight."
After leading the Cottagers to seventh place in the Barclays Premier League last season, Hodgson has arguably emulated that achievement in this campaign, and the experienced manager concedes his time in the capital has exceeded expectations.
"The time at Fulham has been quite magical for me," he said.
"From the moment I came here I established an immediate rapport with the chairman and he's given us the backing we need.
"It's certainly a reward for those very faithful Fulham fans who have seen some bad times through the years and who can now boast they're going to see their team play in a European final."
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