Lyon coach Claude Puel believes the lessons learned during the Ligue 1 campaign came to the fore in the Champions League clash with Bordeaux.
Marouane Chamakh's first-half goal for the hosts ultimately counted for nothing as Lyon's first-leg advantage held up through a tense second half in the 1-0 loss at Stade Chaban Delmas last night.
The 3-2 aggregate win booked Lyon's place in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time, where they will meet German side Bayern Munich, and continues a remarkable turnaround in form in a season that threatened to deliver little.
Few gave the French side a hope of reaching the final four of the Champions League, while their Ligue 1 title hopes looked remote just a few short weeks ago before they clawed their way back into contention.
Lyon are now one of six teams harbouring realistic hopes of landing the Ligue 1 crown, and Puel feels his players can point to the intensity of their domestic campaign as the spur for the resilience they showed last night.
"We wanted to play as if the score had been 0-0 in the first leg but we had the little advantage from the first leg in the back of our minds and we didn't really play freely," said Puel.
"We managed better in the second half, we stuck together even though we didn't really get going in attack. It's a win for the whole squad and the club. We've all stuck together even in tough moments.
"It's a just reward for the players, the staff and the directors.
"We had a tough autumn, but teams are forged in adversity - they know how to fight and play the game when they have to."
Lyon had goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to thank for a dramatic late save which preserved Les Gones' advantage.
With Lyon clinging to their aggregate lead three minutes from time, the outstanding Lloris leaped across goal to punch clear Wendell's goalbound header.
"It played out on details, which went in our favour, like Bordeaux's golden opportunity that Hugo stopped to save our skins," Puel added.
Lyon had previously fallen at this stage of the competition in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and had to be at their collective best to buck that trend in the face of a strong showing from Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux.
"We defended a lot. Congratulations to the Girondins who kept believing right until the end and played a great match," said Lloris.
"We played intelligently, because we conceded a goal just before half-time, the worst time, but still we didn't let doubts creep in. We stayed solid and fought.
"In terms of our mentality, we were faultless and this is why we're now in the semis. We're all over the moon, it's a great moment but difficult to explain. We'll savour it."
Lyon captain Cris, meanwhile, hailed the collective performance of the team, which he concedes is far from the best in the competition.
"There are tougher teams than us out there, but mentally, we were the stronger on a collective level," said the Brazilian defender.
"We're close, we're good friends. I'm happy to be here. It's a really special moment, I've never been in this situation before. We're overjoyed, very happy.
"We have to make the most of it, it's not every day you qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League. It's a first for the club and a first for me as well."
Reflecting on Lloris' late heroics, he added: "Everyone saw that he made a very important save, the save of the match, because if the ball had gone in, we would have been eliminated.
"But he had shown strong form before tonight, even at the beginning of the season, saving lots of matches for us.
"He's a formidable keeper and deserves all his success."
