Grant has two reasons to be emotional
"I don't know if you know but it's not an easy day for me because it is Holocaust Day in Israel," Grant said after Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 in extra time. "It wasn't an easy day for me and I am a little bit emotional."
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On Thursday, Grant will join his Holocaust survivor father at Auschwitz, where he will address thousands at the Nazi concentration camp.
"I owe a lot to my parents," Grant added. "I don't like to speak about it, but my mother comes from Iraq, my father is a survivor of the Holocaust. He's the most optimistic and strong man I've ever seen a lot. He buried his father, his mother, his sisters with his own hand.
"But he never looked to the past. He looked to the future, even though he suffered a lot. It's not an easy day for me, but now it's a happy day."
Grant's success may even induce the Chelsea fans to give him some respect.
The Israeli coach, who has been criticized for not being able to win big matches, won his second straight important game Wednesday, giving Chelsea a 4-3 aggregate win over Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals.
In the final in Moscow on May 21, the Blues will face Manchester United - the same team that Chelsea beat 2-1 on Saturday in the Premier League to put the two clubs level with 81 points each.
Although Grant's predecessor, Jose Mourinho, is still idolized at Stamford Bridge despite his failure to lead Chelsea to the Champions League final, it's the current manager that finally managed to beat Liverpool over two legs.
Mourinho twice lost to the same English club in the semifinals.
Derided for his inexperience and dour persona, Grant seemed shocked by the dramatic victory.
He glumly wandered the field while his players erupted in joy, embracing each other and dancing. A thumbs-up to the camera was a rare moment of joy before he eventually embraced his players.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich should also be happy. The Russian billionaire has said that winning the Champions League was his goal, and the lack of a title in the European competition is believed to have led to the rift between Abramovich and Mourinho, who won two straight league titles for the London team.
The fans, however, still can't bring themselves to sing Grant's name. They believe the Israeli landed the Chelsea job by virtue of networking with Abramovich.
Grant never played professionally and his management experience was limited to the Israeli league and the country's national team, where he failed to reach a major tournament.
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