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Roma displayed admirable efficiency about the way Roma handled this journey to Glasgow. Without much drama. The team from Rome did, however, face manageable rivals when putting their European competition bid on the right path. There was a obvious gulf in quality between the Serie A outfit and a the Scottish team side that has now suffered defeat in a team record seven continental matches in a row.

Positively, Rangers at least huffed and puffed during a later period when surrender felt the probable option. However, the game was settled as a contest by then. Rangers remain anchored at the bottom of the tournament, which should constitute an embarrassment to a team of this standing. Roma have eyes again on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment in this match was in not producing a scoreline that truly reflected 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 Hibs in the early 60s. The previous one, against Dundee United over two decades later, became overshadowed (to put it politely) by the corruption of a match official. Back then, teams from Scotland could compete with the top sides in the continent. This season has seen the UEFA coefficient plunge to a level that will shortly have major consequences.

Danny Röhl’s key attribute so far as the fanbase are see it is that he is not Russell Martin. The latter’s ghastly spell as the manager continued for 123 days in the early part of the campaign. The German coach, the new man at the helm, has displayed potential albeit within a limited timeframe. The dugouts witnessed a clash of generations; the Rangers boss is 36, his opposite number the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the teams took the field. The home team’s obvious lack of height against the visitors looked worrying. That concern was confirmed within 13 minutes as Bryan Cristante comfortably redirected a set-piece at the near post. At the back, Matías Soulé sprinted into space to fire Roma ahead. The visitors without the injured Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been criticised for bluntness despite decent results in this campaign, were pleased with their early advantage.

The Ibrox side should have equalised instantly. Instead, the forward screwed his shot wide after a mix-up in the Roma defence. The player’s eight-million-pound signing from Everton has increased scrutiny of the club’s recruitment team. Chermiti possesses at least the physical attributes to be an effective centre forward but appears reluctant or incapable to utilize them fully.

Roma dominated first-half the ball from that point. Roma doubled their lead through their captain, whose bent effort into the bottom corner of the goalkeeper’s net arrived after a pass from the Ukrainian forward. The hosts will lament the fact Pellegrini was left in complete freedom but it was a superb strike. The stadium, typically a raucous place on continental evenings, had been quietened nine minutes before the break. The discontent which greeted the interval were subdued; the home team were simply in the midst of being outclassed.

The second period began against a curious backdrop. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions for the latest time towards the club’s chief executive, Patrick Stewart, and transfer chief, the director. A pair of displays, clearly menacing in message, showed the duo with targets on their faces. One wonders what the Rangers chairman thinks about all this. After all, the chairman enjoyed an anonymous life as a successful businessman in the US before leading a acquisition of Rangers. Paying punters have not targeted Cavenagh so far but there is a mutinous mood in the air. It is one which is unsurprising; Rangers’ management is completely unconvincing.

As if scripted, the striker was sent through on the keeper on the 60-minute mark and found only the outside of the goal. This actually triggered the home side’s finest spell of the match, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard fired just wide. Yet, nonetheless, difficult to determine Roma’s remaining attacking motivation until Zeki Celik was presented with a opportunity from close range which he somehow lifted and onto the bottom of the bar.

That opportunity as far as meaningful chances were involved. The raft of changes from each side resulted in this fixture ended more in the fashion of a summer exhibition than competitive match. That scenario benefited Roma fine. There was cause to consider how exactly Rangers, runners-up in this tournament in 2022 and strong enough of the last eight a season ago, arrived at the stage of just participating.