Lyon, who managed a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu on Wednesday to advance to the last eight 2-1 on aggregate, have never gone beyond the quarter-finals of European club football's showcase event.
But having eliminated Real in the knockout stage for the first time, they are now thinking they could go all the way to the final, to be played at the same venue on May 22.
"I shouldn't say so but I did shed a little tear," Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, not a man to show emotions, told reporters after the match.
"Now we have crazy dreams in our heads, and one is to come back here for the final," he added.
"We talked to each other a lot (in Tunisia) and a lot of things came into place after that", Brazilian defender Cris, the Lyon captain, told reporters.
The leading players have been setting an example since, with Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez scribbling a note with simple words urging the players to fight to the limit before Wednesday's match. The message proved an inspiration.
