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Roma displayed impressive effectiveness in the way the Italian side handled this journey to Glasgow. Without much drama. The team from Italy’s capital did, nonetheless, face manageable rivals when placing their European competition bid on the right path. Observers noted a glaring gulf in quality between the Serie A outfit and a Rangers side that has now lost a club record seven continental matches consecutively.

To their credit, the home side at least huffed and puffed during a second half when surrender felt the probable outcome. Yet, the game was decided as a competition by then. The Scottish club remain anchored at the foot of the tournament, which should represent an embarrassment to a team of this standing. The Giallorossi have eyes again on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment in this match was in not delivering a scoreline appropriately depicting men against boys.

Amazingly, this represented only the Roman club’s second European joust with Scottish opposition since Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in the early 60s. The previous one, against Dundee United over two decades later, became marred (to put it politely) by the bribing of a referee. In those days, teams from Scotland could vie with the best in Europe. This season has seen the UEFA coefficient drop to a point that will shortly have huge ramifications.

The new manager’s main quality so far as the fanbase are concerned is that he is not his predecessor. The latter’s dismal tenure as the head coach lasted 123 days in the early part of the campaign. The German coach, the new man at the helm, has displayed potential though within a limited timeframe. The technical areas witnessed a generation game; the Rangers boss is thirty-six, 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 obvious short stature against the visitors looked ominous. That concern was confirmed within 13 minutes as Bryan Cristante easily flicked on a corner at the near post. At the back, Matías Soulé burst forward to fire Roma in front. The visitors minus the unavailable Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been criticised for lack of cutting edge despite decent results in this campaign, were pleased with their early advantage.

The Ibrox side should have levelled matters immediately. Instead, Youssef Chermiti sent his effort off target after a mix-up in the Roma defence. The player’s £8m purchase from Everton has piled pressure on the club’s recruitment team. Chermiti possesses at least the physical attributes to be an productive striker but seems unwilling or unable to use them.

The Italian outfit dominated first-half possession from that point. They extended their advantage through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose curling shot into the far post of the goalkeeper’s net arrived after a pass from the Ukrainian forward. The hosts will bemoan the fact the midfielder stood in blissful isolation but it was a superb finish. Ibrox, usually a boisterous venue on continental evenings, had been quietened nine minutes before the break. The discontent which greeted the interval were subdued; the home team were clearly in the process of being outclassed.

The second period started against a unusual atmosphere. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions once again towards the club’s chief executive, the CEO, and sporting director, the director. A pair of displays, obviously sinister in message, showed the pair with bullseyes on their faces. One wonders what the Rangers chairman makes of all this. Ultimately, the chairman had an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States before fronting a takeover of Rangers. Fans have not turned on the owner yet but there is a mutinous feeling in the air. This is unsurprising; Rangers’ leadership is completely unimpressive.

Right on cue, Chermiti was sent through on the keeper on the 60-minute mark and found only the side netting. This actually triggered the home side’s best period of the game, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard fired just wide. Yet, however, hard to determine the visitors’ continued offensive intent until the full-back was presented with a opportunity from close range which he inexplicably hit up and on to the bottom of the bar.

That was it as far as clear-cut opportunity were involved. The series of changes from both teams resulted in this fixture closed more in the style of a pre-season friendly than serious contest. This of course suited the Italians fine. There was cause to consider how on earth the Glasgow club, finalists in this competition in 2022 and worthy of the last eight a last year, arrived at the point of just participating.