Atalanta were runaway winners on Wednesday night as they cruised to Europa League glory in Dublin.

Former Celtic favourite Jeremie Frimpong was left dejected after Bayer Leverkusen were put to the sword as Ademola Lookman scored a hattrick for the Italians.

The final ended 3-0 to the Serie A team, who, as a result, not only enjoyed the glory of lifting silverware but also booked their slot in next season's Champions League.

Unfortunately for Rangers, it was not the result they'd have ideally been looking for, with a win for Leverkusen - who had gone the season unbeaten until this point - a lot more favourable.

That's because if Xabi Alonso's side had won, then Benfica - who Rangers were knocked out of the Europa League by just a few months ago - would've entered the Champions League proper rather than having to qualify. 

And with Rangers looking likely to be unseeded for the qualifiers, that spells potentially bad news given recent previous results between the pair, and so increasing the difficulty of the task of reaching the tournament and all its riches.

Elsewhere, there is positive news on the Champions League qualifier front for Philippe Clement, though. 

Club Brugge could be headed straight for the new-look league phase of the competition after defeating Anderlecht at the weekend.

Therefore, this means if Union Saint-Gilloise are the team left to try and qualify from Belgium then Rangers could be pushed into one of the seeded positions for the draw.

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For the third round of qualifying, the likes of Union SG, Lille, Fenerbahce or FC Twente could lie in wait as things stand.

Atalanta's victory in Ireland this midweek may not have been the best outcome as far as Rangers are concerned, but it was for Hearts.

That's because if the Italians fail to finish in the UCL places in Serie A this weekend, then Hearts could be set to bypass the Europa League play-off and automatically enter the new league phase.

This is now also dependent on Borussia Dortmund winning the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday, June 1, though.