Borussia Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga, 24 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen, and yet they find themselves in a Champions League final for only the third time.
The 2-0 aggregate win over mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain, sealed thanks to Mats Hummels' second-half header in the Parc des Princes, went against most pundits' predictions ahead of the semi-final. But Dortmund's coach was not surprised.
"The belief we could reach the final was already there from early on," Edin Terzic said.
"We spoke about it for the first time before the first leg in Eindhoven (in the last 16). The faces looked a bit baffled when I said that the route to London is short."
The irony of 1997 winners Dortmund reaching the final only after selling top stars Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham in recent seasons was lost no one.
The fact they came through the most difficult group with PSG, seven-times champions Milan and Saudi-backed Newcastle United while also beating heavyweights Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals sums up what a journey it has been.
It is especially remarkable given they had to face the French champions again having lost the group opener in Paris 2-0.
"We've grown with every match. At some point we beat Milan, who were in the semi-final last year. And when you eliminate a semi-finalist, then you think it can work for us too," added Terzic.
"We wanted to be the team that people don't necessarily have on their radar. The journey has been incredible."
Dortmund pull in the average highest attendance in Europe per game but they are still classed outside the top bracket of European sides given they have had to become a selling club.
Last season they missed out on the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich with practically the last kick of the season but Terzic has wiped away his tears and performed a near miracle - even if their domestic form has suffered as a result.
It became so bad in the Bundesliga that rumours swirled at the mid-season break that club man Terzic, who has never managed anywhere else, could be fired. Champions League form saved him and assistants Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender were brought in to help the 41-year-old.
The tactical masterclass against PSG - who also hit the post five times - was the fruit of their labours, with a dash of luck thrown in.
Centre back Nico Schlotterbeck, so often pilloried in the media this term, was a rock alongside evergreen Hummels while on-loan Jadon Sancho again showed what Manchester United fans are missing.
One knock-on effect of their Champions League success is that Germany has received an extra fifth place for next term's revamped competition, meaning Dortmund qualify anyway whether they win the final in Wembley on June 1 or not.
Dortmund's last Champions League final was also in the famous London stadium where they lost late on to German arch-rivals Bayern in 2013. Hummels played that day, before moving to Bayern later and then returning to Dortmund for his autumn years.
The 35-year-old is weighing up whether to continue playing next season, but he now has a huge game which could prove a worthy climax to the 2014-World Cup winner's career.
"Every training session and the two games remaining in the Bundesliga are now focused on June 1. They are preparation matches for Wembley. We want to rehearse a lot of things," Hummels said.
