IF the Wanderers hadn’t quite grasped the full magnitude of what they achieved in China - qualifying for the semifinals of the Asian Champions League - the incredible reception they received at Sydney airport on their return would have made it that much clearer.

Hundreds of Western Sydney supporters, in full voice and kitted out in the red and black colours of the club, greeted the team as they trickled out of the international arrivals terminal on Thursday night.

Goalkeeper Ante Covic, the hero of Wednesday night’s historic match against Guangzhou Evergrande, said the players could hear their fans singing from the baggage terminal.

“It’s unbelievable that we can get this many people to the airport,” he said.

“It is a very big thing for us as a team, as a club, and you can see how much it means to the fans. That was something we probably didn’t expect, but it was fantastic to see.”

Covic crucially saved a penalty from Elkeson and played the full game like a man possessed. He had a good feeling about the spot-kick and as soon as the ball hit his elbow he knew he had got enough on it to clear it from danger.

“It was one of the saves that’s up there with the most important I’ve produced because it gave the team a bit of a lift and a buzz and I think it demoralised them (Evergrande) a little bit,” Covic said.

In the hours leading up to the match Guangzhou’s passionate fans did their best to throw the Wanderers off their game.

But Covic believes their unsporting tactics backfired.

“The first couple of days it was almost too good and then the night before we just had a lunatic kicking and banging everyone’s doors in the middle of the night for a good hour until the police came,” he said.

“Then on the way to the stadium a bus crash, which I think was staged by one of their supporters because we had that car following us for the whole length of the trip and it swerved at us two or three times.

“They threw everything to try and unsettle us, but that probably galvanised us more than anything. We had a reason to really get stuck in and fight for the job we did.”