🔗 Share this article

Roma displayed admirable efficiency about the way the Italian side handled this journey to Scotland. Without much drama. The team from Rome did, nonetheless, face manageable rivals when putting their European competition bid on the right path. Observers noted a glaring gulf in quality between Roma and a the Scottish team side that has now lost a team record seven continental matches consecutively.

Positively, Rangers at least fought hard during a later period when capitulation felt the probable outcome. Yet, the match was settled as a contest by then. Rangers remain anchored at the bottom of the Europa League, which should represent an disgrace to a team of such stature. The Giallorossi have ambitions once more on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment here was in not producing a scoreline that truly reflected the mismatch in quality.

Amazingly, this marked only Roma’s second-ever continental encounter with a team from Scotland since Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in 1961. Their last such match, against the Terrors 23 years later, became overshadowed (to put it mildly) by the bribing of a match official. Back then, teams from Scotland could compete with the best in Europe. The current campaign has seen the UEFA coefficient drop to a level that will shortly have huge ramifications.

Danny Röhl’s main quality so far as the Rangers support are see it is that he isn’t Russell Martin. Martin’s ghastly spell as the manager continued for just over four months in the initial phase of this season. Röhl, the new man at the helm, has displayed potential albeit within a tiny sample size. The dugouts witnessed a clash of generations; Röhl is thirty-six, his counterpart the Roma manager is 67.

Another element was far more striking as the sides lined up. Rangers’ glaring short stature against the Italians looked worrying. This point was proven within 13 minutes as Bryan Cristante easily flicked on a corner at the front post. Following up, Matías Soulé burst forward to knock his team in front. A Roma team minus the injured Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been questioned for lack of cutting edge even with reasonable results in this campaign, were pleased with their quick lead.

Rangers should have levelled matters immediately. Instead, the forward sent his effort off target after a mix-up in the Roma defence. Chermiti’s eight-million-pound purchase from the Toffees has piled pressure on the club’s recruitment team. He has at least the physique to be an effective centre forward but appears reluctant or incapable to utilize them fully.

Roma dominated opening period the ball from that point. Roma doubled their lead through their captain, whose bent effort into the far post of Jack Butland’s net came after a lay off from Artem Dovbyk. Rangers will lament the fact Pellegrini stood in blissful isolation but it was a superb finish. The stadium, usually a raucous venue on European nights, had been silenced with time still remaining before the break. The discontent which greeted the interval were subdued; the home team were clearly 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 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 the situation. Ultimately, the chairman enjoyed an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the US before fronting a acquisition of Rangers. Fans have not turned on the owner so far but there is a mutinous feeling in the air. It is one which is unsurprising; Rangers’ management is completely unconvincing.

As if scripted, Chermiti was played in on goal on the 60-minute mark and found only the outside of the goal. That moment sparked 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 presented with a opportunity all of a yard out which he inexplicably lifted and on to the underside of the bar.

That was it as far as clear-cut chances were concerned. The series of substitutions from each side resulted in this fixture ended more in the style of a summer exhibition than serious contest. That scenario benefited Roma perfectly. There was cause to consider how exactly the Glasgow club, runners-up in this tournament in 2022 and worthy of the last eight a season ago, reached the point of making up the numbers.