So - once again - Celtic and Rangers are left flying the flag for Scotland in Europe. Both will be in tomorrow's Europa League group stage draw.

The two Glasgow sides will look to repair the flaws shown up by today's games as they meet in the first Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday. Meanwhile, Aberdeen and St Johnstone lick the wounds of defeat ahead of meetings with Ross County and St Mirren respectively.

Before then, however, there are three Premiership games on Saturday, plus a programme of lower league fixtures already disrupted by Covid issues.

See you then...

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou assesses his walking wounded, with the Old Firm derby against Rangers looming on Sunday.

"Greg Taylor has a shoulder problem. We don't know the extent of it, but we have a pretty quick turnaround, so we have to see if he recovers in time.

"Kyogo got a bit of a knock. Everybody put in a shift, so it's about recovery now."

Captain Jason Kerr says the journey to the Conference League play-off has given St Johnstone a taste for European football.

"We are obviously very disappointed to get so far and fall at the last hurdle," the defender said of the defeat by LASK.

"It's amazing when the stadiums are full like this. We just need to go again on Sunday and try to get a first win in the league."

Asked about the red cards for David Wotherspoon and Shaun Rooney, Kerr adds: "I can't comment on David's one as I didn't see it, but I don't think Shaun's challenge was a penalty and, with nine men, we couldn't bring it back from there."

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou tells BBC Scotland: "Hugely important we got through. Different type of performance tonight but reward for getting the job done over two legs."

"We made two pretty terrible errors [from Joe Hart and Carl Starfelt], but people make mistakes.

"What was more important for me was how we reacted. We lost our way a bit after the goals, but second half we dug in when we had to.

"Joe made a couple of outstanding saves and Carl defended strongly in the second half."

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Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister added: "We are absolutely delighted we are in the draw for the group stages.

"The fact we have done it four years on the bounce is a fantastic achievement from the players.

"I hold my hand up, it wasn't pretty, but we have had a difficult two or three days. The players are feeling it as well, there's a lot of their mates, their team-mates and members of staff who have not been able to travel and these issues affect you.

"And what I want to stress is, it was incredibly hot. At the beginning of the game it was 34-35 degrees. We have played better, but we did make the best chances, we hit the woodwork a couple of times, Alfredo has had a couple of good chances you would expect him to score."

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Earlier, Rangers scraped through against 10-man Alashkert and, afterwards, assistant manager Gary McAllister said they will have "four or five" players back for Sunday's visit of Celtic after several players missed out today because of a Covid-19 outbreak.

In the absence of manager Steven Gerrard, he said: "We will be bolstered by four or five, on my count.

"We have got players who have been dealing with Covid issues, players who were suspended, and players who have been carrying little niggling injuries. So we will be well bolstered for the weekend."

Both striker Kemar Roofe and midfielder John Lundstram will be two definite returnees having been suspended in Armenia.

Willie Miller
Former Aberdeen defender on BBC Sportsound

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson tells BBC Scotland "what an effort" his players have put in.

"We were competing against a top team in Europe," he adds. "The LASK coach has got some really good players to get them through games.

"David Wotherspoon's sending off ruined the tie for us completely. It's unlike David. It doesn't look great on TV."

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So Scotland started the night with four teams in the European group stages within their reach.

But again it is the same old, same old, with the Old Firm the only sides through as Celtic and Rangers progress, fairly unconvincingly, in the Europa League.

That Lewis Ferguson spot kick was the last act of the game, but it won't have eased the pain of Aberdeen's comprehensive European Conference League play-off defeat.

Aberdeen hoped to perform better at home after a difficult first leg on Qarabag's terrible home pitch, but it was the visitors who improved more.

The classy visitors move into a European group stage for an eighth season in a row - once in the Champions League, six in the Europa League and now the new third-tier competition.

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Calvin Ramsay does well to draw a foul, and Aberdeen have the chance of a consolation.

Aberdeen are still giving it their all, but they have been played off the park for most of the night.

Willie Miller
Former Aberdeen defender on BBC Sportsound

They are still going at Pittodrie - just over two minutes left for the home fans to endure.

Willie Miller
Former Aberdeen defender on BBC Sportsound

It wasn't pretty, but Celtic are through to the Europa League group stage for the fourth year running.

Kyogo Furuhashi's opener looked to have Ange Postecoglou's side on easy street.

But a quick reply from Zakaria Aboukhlal and a Carl Starfelt own goal to follow and Celtic were hanging on to the end.

AZ goalkeeper Hobie Verhulst is up for a couple of late corners, but opposite number Joe Hart punches clear to relieve the pressure.