Giovanni van Bronckhorst admitted he could never imagined leading Rangers to the Europa League Final when he took over as Ibrox boss.
The Dutchman’s first game in charge was a win over Sparta Prague to secure their place in the knockout stage.
But just six months later Rangers are heading to Seville for a showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt after a stunning 3-1 win over RB Leipzig.
And Van Bronckhorst is now just 90 minutes away from leading Rangers to only their second ever European trophy - 50 years after Willie Waddell led them to their first in Barcelona.
The 47-year-old said: “It’s very hard to find words. This wasn’t what I was thinking when I took over.
“My first game was against Sparta Prague and we knew the result would take us into Europe after the break.
“That was our only goal in that game but the strength is to take every opponent game by game and I’m very proud of the achievement so far.
“It’s remarkable what these players have achieved. To overcome Dortmund - a powerhouse in Europe - and Red Bull as well, Red Star (Belgrade).
“We did so many good things and we worked hard and believed in the final which is why we’re in it and we’re going to enjoy it and do everything we can to win it.
“Not many players play finals. I played in the Champions League in Paris and World Cup in South Africa.
“It’s not every player who gets to do it so once you’re in the final you have to do everything to win it.”
Ibrox was rocking on one of its greatest nights and even after Christoper Nkunku levelled the tie on aggregate after early goals from James Tavernier and Glen Kamara, it was John Lundstram who had the final say.
Van Bronckhorst said: “It’s been an amazing night and we said before the game we were going to do everything possible to make sure we’re in the final.
“The players, together with the crowd, were fantastic. We made it an atmosphere we needed to overcome this opponent.
“We couldn’t have written a better script and we’re all very proud to reach the final and we toasted Jimmy for the win.
“The atmosphere goes both ways. It helps us throughout the game and it’s difficult for the opponent to play in these circumstances.
“Red Bull is a team with a lot of quality and experience so to win against them is amazing.
“Teams like Red Bull see how you play and change tactics. It’s like chess, they make moves and we have to react and also make moves.
“It’s 90 minutes long thinking, looking, discussing, making the right choices. And I’m really happy it went our way.
“The timing of the goals was vital. The two we scored were fantastic like we wanted but we knew Leipzig would come because they’re a good team and create chances.
“It was a great save by Allan just before they made it 2-1 but it gives you an enormous boost to score with 10 minutes to go.”
