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There was impressive effectiveness in the way Roma handled this trip to Glasgow. Without much drama. Roma from Rome did, however, face manageable rivals when putting their European competition bid back on track. Observers noted a obvious gulf in quality between Roma and a the Scottish team side that has now lost a team record seven continental matches consecutively.

Positively, the home side at least huffed and puffed during a second half when surrender felt the probable option. However, the match was settled as a competition by then. Rangers remain anchored at the bottom of the Europa League, which should constitute an embarrassment to a club of this standing. The Giallorossi have eyes once more on making proper impact. Their only regret in this match was in not producing a result that truly reflected men against boys.

Amazingly, this marked only the Roman club’s second continental encounter with a team from Scotland since Fairs Cup fixtures with Hibernian in 1961. The previous one, against the Terrors over two decades later, became overshadowed (to put it mildly) by the corruption of a match official. Back then, 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 soon have huge ramifications.

The new manager’s main quality up to now as the Rangers support are concerned is that he isn’t his predecessor. The latter’s dismal spell as the manager lasted just over four months in the initial phase of this season. The German coach, the recent appointment at the helm, has displayed potential though within a tiny sample size. The technical areas witnessed a generation game; the Rangers boss is thirty-six, his opposite number Gian Piero Gasperini is 67.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the teams took the field. Rangers’ obvious lack of height against the Italians looked ominous. This point was confirmed within 13 minutes as the Roma midfielder easily redirected a corner at the near post. At the back, Matías Soulé sprinted into space to fire his team ahead. The visitors minus the injured Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been criticised for bluntness despite decent results in the tournament, were delighted with their early advantage.

Rangers should have levelled matters instantly. Rather, the forward sent his effort off target after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’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 productive striker but appears unwilling or unable to use them.

Roma controlled first-half the ball from that point. They doubled their lead through their captain, whose curling shot into the far post of Jack Butland’s net arrived after a pass from Artem Dovbyk. Rangers will bemoan the fact Pellegrini was left in blissful isolation but it was a superb strike. Ibrox, typically a boisterous place on European nights, had been silenced nine minutes until halftime. Even the boos which met the interval were timid; Rangers were simply in the process of being outclassed.

The second period started against a curious atmosphere. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions once again towards the club’s chief executive, the CEO, and transfer chief, Kevin Thelwell. A pair of displays, clearly sinister in message, showed the duo with bullseyes on their images. One wonders what the Rangers chairman thinks about the situation. After all, the chairman enjoyed an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States before fronting a takeover of Rangers. Fans have not turned on Cavenagh yet but there is a rebellious mood in the air. It is one which is easy to understand; Rangers’ leadership is completely unconvincing.

Right on cue, the striker was played in on goal on the 60-minute mark and found only the outside of the goal. This actually triggered the home side’s best period of the game, in which their substitute the young midfielder shot narrowly past the post. It was, nonetheless, hard to gauge Roma’s continued offensive intent until the full-back was given a opportunity from close range which he inexplicably hit up and onto the bottom of the bar.

That was it as far as clear-cut opportunity were involved. The series of substitutions from each side meant this fixture ended more in the fashion of a pre-season friendly than competitive match. This of course suited Roma perfectly. There was cause to ponder how on earth Rangers, runners-up in this tournament in recently and strong enough of the quarter-finals a last year, reached the stage of making up the numbers.