Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde has revealed his delight following Friday's 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
The result secured a top-four finish for the Basque outfit and a place in the Champions League next season.
"We took this as a final, and now we're in heaven. It is a great joy to see this team in the Champions League," he told reporters.
"We knew Rayo would come at us with intensity, so we wanted to start the match well. I thought we did that.
"For a team like Athletic to only be behind Atletico, Barcelona and Real Madrid is a triumph."
Bilbao have won 20 of their 36 league games this season.
