Antonio Di Natale has hailed Udinese's feat of qualifying for the Champions League for the second time in two years as "a great achievement".
The 34-year-old scored the opener for his team in their 2-0 win at Catania, which secured third place in Serie A.
The striker believes that the Friulani have been better than their rivals Napoli and Inter Milan this season and that they deserve their final league standing.
"It was a great performance and a splendid result. We conquered the Champions League for the second time in a row, overtaking teams like Napoli and Inter," said the Italy international.
"We are ahead of them in the table because we deserved it and did better. It is a great achievement. Now I want to celebrate with my fans and then think about the rest later."
Di Natale has further cause for celebration after being named in Italy's provisional squad for Euro 2012.