Thijs Dalling and Samuel Iling-Junior struck the goals in the 2-1 win on Tuesday night.
“It was my first Champions League win as a coach, when as a kid I was on my sofa watching those who made the history of this competition, it’s so emotional,” Italiano told Sky Italia.
“We are eliminated, but it feels like we won a quarter-final or a semi-final. These lads wanted this win at all costs, what they said before the game in the locker room, how much they needed to give this gift to the fans. It’s a dream come true and I am so happy, it’s beyond words.”
He continued: “The penalty at the start could compromise the entire match strategy, as they are so fast on the counter-attack and could’ve made it very different. Holm was booked, but was very good to avoid further mistakes.
“We attacked their very high line, which is what we had prepared for the second half, and the lads knew they could flood forward with this long ball to surprise them. Everyone deserves praise for their performance against a very strong opponent.
“We saw that Borussia Dortmund often kept a high line and struggled with a ball over the top. Odgaard is much more attacking than Ferguson, so we tried to create those situations and we made the most of them.
“The lads prepared for this match with one training session and one video lecture, so the focus they put into it was extraordinary.”