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Roma displayed admirable efficiency in the way Roma handled this trip to Glasgow. Minimum of fuss. The team from Rome did, nonetheless, meet favourable opposition when putting their Europa League bid back on track. There was a obvious difference in class between Roma and a the Scottish team squad that has now lost a club record seven European games consecutively.

Positively, Rangers at least huffed and puffed during a second half when capitulation felt the probable option. However, the game was settled as a competition at that stage. The Scottish club remain anchored at the bottom of the Europa League, which should constitute an disgrace to a club of such stature. Roma have ambitions once more on achieving significant success. Their only regret in this match was in not producing a scoreline appropriately depicting men against boys.

Surprisingly, this marked only Roma’s second-ever continental encounter with Scottish opposition since Fairs Cup fixtures with Hibernian in 1961. Their last such match, against Dundee United over two decades later, became overshadowed (to put it mildly) by the corruption of a referee. In those days, Scottish clubs could compete with the best in Europe. The current campaign has seen the co-efficient drop to a point that will shortly have huge consequences.

The new manager’s key attribute up to now as the Rangers support are concerned is that he is not his predecessor. The latter’s ghastly tenure as the head coach 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 tiny sample size. The dugouts witnessed a clash of generations; the Rangers boss is 36, his opposite number the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

Another element was far more striking as the teams took the field. Rangers’ glaring lack of height against the visitors looked ominous. This point was confirmed within 13 minutes as the Roma midfielder easily flicked on a corner at the near post. At the back, the Argentine winger burst forward to fire Roma in front. The visitors without the injured Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been criticised for bluntness despite reasonable performances in this campaign, were pleased with their quick lead.

The Ibrox side could have levelled matters instantly. Instead, Youssef Chermiti screwed his shot wide after a mix-up in the visitors’ backline. The player’s £8m signing from the Toffees has increased scrutiny of the club’s recruitment team. He has at least the physique to be an productive striker but seems reluctant or incapable to utilize them fully.

The Italian outfit dominated opening period possession from that point. They extended their advantage through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose bent effort into the far post of Jack Butland’s net arrived after a pass from Artem Dovbyk. The hosts will bemoan the fact the midfielder was left in complete freedom but it was a gorgeous finish. Ibrox, usually a raucous place on continental evenings, had been silenced with time still remaining before the break. Even the boos which met the interval were subdued; the home team were simply in the process of being overwhelmed.

The second period started against a curious atmosphere. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions for the latest time towards the top executive, the CEO, and sporting director, Kevin Thelwell. A pair of displays, clearly sinister in tone, depicted the duo with targets on their images. It raises questions what the club owner thinks about the situation. Ultimately, the chairman had an anonymous life as a successful businessman in the US before fronting a acquisition of this club. Paying punters have not turned on the owner so far but there is a mutinous feeling in the air. It is one which is easy to understand; The team’s management is wholly unconvincing.

As if scripted, the striker was sent through on the keeper on the hour mark and hit the outside of the goal. This actually triggered Rangers’ best period of the game, in which their substitute Thelo Aasgaard shot narrowly past the post. Yet, however, difficult to gauge the visitors’ remaining offensive intent until the full-back was given a chance all of a yard out which he somehow hit up and on to the underside of the bar.

That opportunity as far as clear-cut opportunity were concerned. The raft of substitutions from both teams resulted in this game ended more in the fashion of a pre-season friendly than competitive match. That scenario benefited the Italians perfectly. There was cause to consider how on earth Rangers, finalists in this competition in 2022 and strong enough of the last eight a last year, reached the point of just participating.