Rangers suffered the pain of defeat in the Nou Camp

"We've made sure that we have European football after Christmas even if the worst was to happen," said the manager after Stuttgart's defeat by Lyon.

"When we first looked at such a difficult group, that's a great thing.

"It is always a big disappointment to lose, but not many teams can come here and get a win. We're just the latest."

Interview: Rangers boss Walter Smith

Interview: Rangers defender David Weir

Lyon's 4-2 win over Stuttgart means that the German side will finish bottom of the table.

With Barca almost certain to top the table, Lyon and Rangers will battle it out for second spot, with a Uefa Cup place the consolation prize for the losers.

We have shown against Lyon and Stuttgart that we are able to stand up against that level of team Walter Smith

Smith had always seen that as the main battleground, with the trip to the Nou Camp being unlikely to wield any dividends.

So he refused to criticise his team and was not making any excuses despite Barcelona's opening goal coming off the hand of striker Thierry Henry.

"If it went in off his hand, you have to assume that the referee and linesman didn't see it," he said.

"It was poor defending from ourselves in the first place, something that we have not been guilty of that often this season.

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"It's disappointing as it set the tone for the game, but they are a class apart from us in many positions.

"Many teams will come here and struggle a little bit.

"But we have shown against Lyon and Stuttgart that we are able to stand up against that level of team."