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Roma displayed impressive effectiveness about the way Roma dealt with this trip to Scotland. Minimum of fuss. The team from Italy’s capital did, nonetheless, face manageable rivals when putting their Europa League bid back on track. There was a glaring difference in class between Roma and a the Scottish team side that has now suffered defeat in a club record seven European games consecutively.

To their credit, Rangers at least huffed and puffed during a later period when capitulation felt the probable option. Yet, the match was decided as a contest at that stage. The Scottish club remain anchored at the bottom of the Europa League, which should constitute an embarrassment to a club of this standing. Roma have eyes once more on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment here was in not producing a scoreline that truly reflected men against boys.

Surprisingly, this represented only the Roman club’s second European joust with a team from Scotland since Fairs Cup fixtures with Hibs in the early 60s. Their last such match, against the Terrors 23 years later, became overshadowed (to put it mildly) by the bribing of a referee. In those days, teams from Scotland could compete with the top sides in Europe. The current campaign has seen the UEFA coefficient drop to a level that will shortly have major consequences.

Danny Röhl’s key attribute so far as the fanbase are concerned is that he isn’t Russell Martin. The latter’s ghastly spell as the manager lasted 123 days in the early part of this season. Röhl, the new man at the helm, has shown promise though within a limited timeframe. The technical areas saw a generation game; the Rangers boss is 36, his opposite number the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

A further factor was far more striking as the teams took the field. The home team’s glaring lack of height against the visitors looked ominous. This point was confirmed within 13 minutes as the Roma midfielder comfortably redirected a corner at the near post. At the back, the Argentine winger burst forward to fire his team in front. The visitors without the injured Evan Ferguson and their star attacker, who have been criticised for lack of cutting edge despite reasonable results in this campaign, were pleased with their quick lead.

Rangers could have equalised instantly. Rather, the forward sent his effort off target after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. The player’s eight-million-pound signing from the Toffees has piled pressure on the Rangers transfer hierarchy. He has at least the physical attributes to be an effective centre forward but seems reluctant or incapable to utilize them fully.

The Italian outfit dominated first-half the ball thereafter. Roma extended their advantage through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose curling shot into the bottom corner of Jack Butland’s net arrived after a pass from Artem Dovbyk. Rangers will lament the fact Pellegrini was left in complete freedom but it was a gorgeous finish. Ibrox, typically a raucous place on continental evenings, had been quietened nine minutes before the break. Even the boos which met the interval were timid; Rangers were clearly in the midst of being outclassed.

After the break started against a curious atmosphere. Supporters directed their focus once again towards the club’s chief executive, the CEO, and transfer chief, the director. Two banners, obviously sinister in tone, depicted the duo with bullseyes on their faces. One wonders what the club owner thinks about the situation. After all, the chairman enjoyed an low-profile career as a wealthy entrepreneur in the US before fronting a acquisition of Rangers. Paying punters have not turned on the owner so far but there is a rebellious feeling around the club. It is one which is easy to understand; The team’s leadership is completely unconvincing.

Right on cue, Chermiti was sent through on the keeper on the 60-minute mark and found only the outside of the goal. That moment sparked Rangers’ finest spell of the game, in which their substitute Thelo Aasgaard fired just wide. It was, however, hard to determine Roma’s remaining attacking motivation until the full-back was presented with a chance from close range which he inexplicably hit up and on to the underside of the bar.

That was it as far as clear-cut chances were concerned. The raft of substitutions from each side meant this game closed more in the style of a summer exhibition than competitive match. That scenario benefited Roma fine. There was cause to consider how exactly the Glasgow club, runners-up in this tournament in 2022 and worthy of the last eight a last year, arrived at the stage of making up the numbers.