🔗 Share this article

There was impressive effectiveness in the way the Italian side dealt with this journey to Glasgow. Without much drama. The team from Rome did, however, face manageable rivals when placing their Europa League bid back on track. There was a obvious gulf in quality between the Serie A outfit and a the Scottish team side that has now lost a team record seven continental matches consecutively.

To their credit, the home side at least huffed and puffed during a second half when capitulation felt the probable outcome. However, the match was decided as a contest by then. Rangers remain rooted to the bottom of the Europa League, which should represent an embarrassment to a team of this standing. The Giallorossi have eyes once more on achieving significant success. Their only regret here was in not producing a scoreline appropriately depicting men against boys.

Surprisingly, this marked only the Roman club’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 over two decades later, became marred (to put it politely) by the corruption of a match official. Back then, Scottish clubs could vie with the best in the continent. The current campaign has seen the co-efficient drop to a point that will soon have huge ramifications.

The new manager’s key attribute up to now as the fanbase are see it is that he isn’t his predecessor. The latter’s ghastly spell as the head coach lasted just over four months in the early part of this season. The German coach, the recent appointment at the helm, has shown promise though within a limited timeframe. The dugouts saw a generation game; the Rangers boss is thirty-six, his counterpart Gian Piero Gasperini 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 Italians looked worrying. That concern was confirmed within the opening quarter-hour as the Roma midfielder comfortably flicked on a set-piece at the front post. Following up, the Argentine winger sprinted into space to knock Roma in front. A Roma team minus the injured Evan Ferguson and their star attacker, who have been criticised for lack of cutting edge despite reasonable performances in this campaign, were pleased with their early advantage.

Rangers should have levelled matters instantly. Instead, Youssef Chermiti screwed his shot wide after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. The player’s eight-million-pound purchase from Everton has piled pressure on the Rangers transfer hierarchy. He has at least the physique to be an effective centre forward but appears reluctant or incapable to use them.

Roma dominated opening period the ball from that point. They doubled their lead through their captain, whose curling shot into the far post of the goalkeeper’s net arrived after a pass from the Ukrainian forward. Rangers will lament the fact the midfielder was left in blissful isolation but it was a superb finish. Ibrox, typically a boisterous venue on European nights, had been quietened with time still remaining before the break. Even the boos which greeted the interval were subdued; the home team were clearly in the process of being overwhelmed.

The second period began against a unusual backdrop. Those Rangers fans directed their focus for the latest time towards the club’s chief executive, Patrick Stewart, and transfer chief, Kevin Thelwell. A pair of displays, obviously menacing in message, depicted the duo with bullseyes on their images. It raises questions what the Rangers chairman thinks about all this. After all, the chairman had an anonymous career as a successful businessman in the United States before leading a acquisition of Rangers. Paying punters have not targeted the owner yet but there is a rebellious mood in the air. It is one which is easy to understand; The team’s leadership is completely unconvincing.

Right on cue, the striker was played in on the keeper on the 60-minute mark and hit the outside of the goal. This actually triggered Rangers’ best period of the match, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard shot narrowly past the post. It was, nonetheless, difficult to determine the visitors’ continued offensive intent until the full-back was given a opportunity all of a yard out which he somehow hit up and onto the bottom of the bar.

That opportunity as far as meaningful chances were involved. The raft of substitutions from both teams meant this fixture ended more in the style of a summer exhibition than competitive match. That scenario benefited Roma perfectly. It prompted reflection to consider how exactly Rangers, finalists in this competition in recently and strong enough of the last eight a last year, arrived at the point of just participating.