Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini praised his players for keeping their focus through a turbulent period for the Qatari-owned club after they eliminated Porto on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League last eight on their debut in the competition.
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Malaga's long-suffering fans have endured a roller- coaster ride since Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, a member of the Qatar royal family, bought the Costa del Sol club in 2010 after they narrowly avoided relegation.
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Hefty investment in players and the hiring of former Real Madrid and Villarreal coach Pellegrini yielded a top-four finish last term and a place in Europe's elite club competition.
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However, things apparently began to unravel over the summer and while rumours Al Thani was looking to bail out went unanswered top players like Santi Cazorla were sold off to raise cash.
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There appeared to be a power vacuum, with local officials keeping the club running as much in the dark as players, coaching staff, fans and journalists.
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Al Thani's lieutenant eventually announced Malaga were undergoing an "internal restructuring" to bring them into line with Uefa's Financial Fair Play rules.
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Outstanding debts to players, staff and other clubs began to be settled and a measure of calm returned.
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The season began in mid-August and Pellegrini and his squad showed they were not distracted by institutional woes with a series of impressive performances that lifted them to first place in Champions League Group C ahead of AC Milan.
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A 1-0 home win over the seven-times European Cup winners will live long in the memory of those who were at the Rosaleda.
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Their dream run appeared to be coming to an end after 2004 winners Porto beat them 1-0 in last month's last 16 first leg in Portugal.
The players deserve every praise they can possibly get. They did very well to score two goals at home. The goals were sublime