Matías Soulé along with Lorenzo Pellegrini find the net as Roma overpower Rangers

There was admirable efficiency about the way the Italian side dealt with this trip to Scotland. Without much drama. Roma from Italy’s capital did, nonetheless, face manageable rivals when placing their Europa League bid back on track. Observers noted a glaring difference in class between Roma and a Rangers squad that has now lost a club record seven European games consecutively.

To their credit, Rangers at least huffed and puffed during a second half when capitulation felt the probable option. However, the match was decided as a competition by then. Rangers remain rooted to the bottom of the Europa League, which should constitute an disgrace to a team of such stature. Roma have ambitions again on making proper impact. One slight disappointment in this match was in not delivering a scoreline appropriately depicting the mismatch in quality.

Amazingly, this represented only the Roman club’s second-ever continental encounter with a team from Scotland since the historic Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in 1961. Their last such match, against the Terrors 23 years later, became overshadowed (to put it politely) by the bribing of a match official. In those days, Scottish clubs could vie with the top sides in the continent. This season has seen the co-efficient plunge to a point that will soon have huge ramifications.

Danny Röhl’s main quality so far as the fanbase are concerned is that he isn’t Russell Martin. Martin’s dismal spell as the head coach lasted 123 days in the early part of this season. The German coach, the recent appointment at the helm, has displayed potential albeit within a tiny sample size. The technical areas saw a generation game; Röhl is thirty-six, his counterpart Gian Piero Gasperini is sixty-seven.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the sides lined up. The home team’s glaring lack of height against the Italians looked ominous. This point was confirmed within the opening quarter-hour as the Roma midfielder comfortably redirected a corner at the near post. Following up, the Argentine winger burst forward to fire his team ahead. A Roma team minus the unavailable Evan Ferguson and their star attacker, who have been questioned for bluntness despite reasonable performances in this campaign, were pleased with their quick lead.

Rangers could have equalised instantly. Instead, Youssef Chermiti screwed his shot wide after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s eight-million-pound signing from Everton has piled pressure on the Rangers transfer hierarchy. Chermiti possesses at least the physique to be an productive centre forward but appears reluctant or incapable to use them.

Roma controlled first-half possession thereafter. They extended their advantage through their captain, whose bent effort into the far post of the goalkeeper’s net came after a lay off from Artem Dovbyk. Rangers will lament the fact the midfielder was left in blissful isolation but it was a superb strike. Ibrox, usually a boisterous venue on European nights, had been silenced nine minutes before the break. The discontent which met the half-time whistle were timid; the home team were simply in the process of being outclassed.

After the break started against a curious backdrop. Supporters directed their focus for the latest time towards the club’s chief executive, the CEO, and transfer chief, the director. A pair of displays, obviously menacing in tone, showed the pair with targets on their images. It raises questions what the club owner thinks about the situation. Ultimately, Andrew Cavenagh had an anonymous career as a successful businessman in the US before leading a takeover of this club. Paying punters have not turned on the owner so far but there is a mutinous mood around the club. This is unsurprising; Rangers’ leadership is completely unconvincing.

As if scripted, Chermiti was played in on goal on the 60-minute mark and hit the outside of the goal. This actually triggered the home side’s finest spell of the game, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard shot narrowly past the post. It was, nonetheless, hard to gauge Roma’s remaining offensive intent until Zeki Celik was presented with a opportunity from close range which he inexplicably hit up and onto the bottom of the bar.

That was it as far as clear-cut chances were involved. The series of changes from each side resulted in this game ended more in the style of a summer exhibition than serious contest. This of course suited the Italians fine. There was cause to consider how exactly the Glasgow club, runners-up in this tournament in recently and strong enough of the quarter-finals a season ago, reached the stage of just participating.