🔗 Share this article

There was impressive effectiveness about the way the Italian side handled this trip to Scotland. Without much drama. Roma from Italy’s capital did, however, meet favourable opposition when putting their Europa League bid on the right path. There was a glaring gulf in quality between Roma and a the Scottish team side that has now lost a team record seven continental matches in a row.

To their credit, the home side at least fought hard during a later period when capitulation felt the probable option. Yet, the game was settled as a contest by then. Rangers remain anchored at the foot of the tournament, which should represent an disgrace to a club of this standing. Roma have ambitions once more on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment here was in not delivering a result appropriately depicting men against boys.

Surprisingly, this represented only Roma’s second-ever European joust 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 marred (to put it mildly) by the corruption of a match official. In those days, teams from Scotland could vie with the best in the continent. The current campaign has seen the UEFA coefficient plunge to a level that will soon have huge consequences.

Danny Röhl’s key attribute up to now as the fanbase are concerned is that he isn’t Russell Martin. Martin’s ghastly tenure as the head coach continued for just over four months in the early part of this season. The German coach, the new man at the helm, has shown promise though within a limited timeframe. The dugouts witnessed a clash of generations; Röhl is thirty-six, his counterpart the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

Another element was much more noticeable as the teams lined up. Rangers’ glaring lack of height against the Italians looked worrying. This point was confirmed within the opening quarter-hour as the Roma midfielder easily redirected a corner at the front post. At the back, Matías Soulé sprinted into space to knock his team ahead. The visitors without the injured Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been questioned for lack of cutting edge despite reasonable results in the tournament, were delighted with their quick lead.

Rangers could have levelled matters immediately. Instead, Youssef Chermiti screwed his shot wide after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. The player’s £8m signing from Everton has piled pressure on the Rangers transfer hierarchy. Chermiti possesses at least the physical attributes to be an effective centre forward but seems reluctant or incapable to utilize them fully.

Roma dominated first-half possession thereafter. Roma extended their advantage through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose curling shot into the far post of the goalkeeper’s net came after a pass from the Ukrainian forward. The hosts will bemoan the fact Pellegrini stood in complete freedom but it was a gorgeous strike. Ibrox, usually a raucous venue on European nights, had been quietened with time still remaining before the break. Even the boos which met the half-time whistle were timid; Rangers were simply in the process of being overwhelmed.

The second period began against a unusual backdrop. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions for the latest time towards the top executive, Patrick Stewart, and sporting director, the director. A pair of displays, clearly sinister in message, showed the pair with bullseyes on their images. One wonders what the Rangers chairman thinks about all this. Ultimately, Andrew Cavenagh had an anonymous career as a wealthy entrepreneur in the US before fronting a acquisition of Rangers. Paying punters have not targeted the owner so far but there is a rebellious feeling in the air. It is one which is easy to understand; The team’s management is completely unimpressive.

As if scripted, the striker was played in on goal on the 60-minute mark and found only the side netting. This actually triggered Rangers’ finest spell of the match, in which their substitute the young midfielder fired just wide. Yet, nonetheless, hard to determine the visitors’ continued offensive intent until the full-back was given a chance all of a yard out which he inexplicably lifted and on to the bottom of the bar.

That opportunity as far as meaningful chances were involved. The series of changes from each side meant this fixture ended more in the fashion of a summer exhibition than competitive match. That scenario benefited Roma perfectly. It prompted reflection to consider how on earth Rangers, runners-up in this competition in recently and worthy of the last eight a last year, reached the stage of making up the numbers.