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Roma displayed impressive effectiveness in the way Roma handled this trip to Scotland. Without much drama. Roma from Italy’s capital did, nonetheless, meet favourable opposition when placing their Europa League bid back on track. There was a glaring gulf in quality between Roma and a Rangers side that has now suffered defeat in a club record seven continental matches in a row.

Positively, the home side at least huffed and puffed during a second half when surrender felt the more likely outcome. Yet, the match was decided as a contest at that stage. Rangers remain rooted to the foot of the tournament, which should constitute an disgrace to a team of such stature. Roma have ambitions again on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment in this match was in not delivering a result appropriately depicting men against boys.

Amazingly, this marked only Roma’s second-ever continental encounter with a team from Scotland since the historic Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in 1961. Their last such match, against the Terrors 23 years later, became marred (to put it mildly) by the bribing of a match official. Back then, teams from Scotland could compete with the best in the continent. The current campaign has seen the UEFA coefficient drop to a point that will soon have major ramifications.

Danny Röhl’s main quality up to now as the Rangers support are see it is that he is not Russell Martin. The latter’s ghastly spell 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 shown promise though within a limited timeframe. The dugouts witnessed a clash of generations; Röhl is thirty-six, his opposite number Gian Piero Gasperini is sixty-seven.

A further factor was far more striking as the sides lined up. Rangers’ glaring short stature against the visitors looked worrying. This point was proven within the opening quarter-hour as Bryan Cristante comfortably redirected a set-piece at the near post. At the back, the Argentine winger burst forward to knock his team in front. The visitors minus the injured Evan Ferguson and their star attacker, who have been questioned for bluntness despite reasonable results in the tournament, were pleased with their quick lead.

The Ibrox side should have equalised immediately. Rather, Youssef Chermiti screwed his shot wide after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s eight-million-pound purchase from the Toffees has increased scrutiny of the Rangers transfer hierarchy. He has at least the physique to be an effective striker but seems unwilling or unable to use them.

Roma 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 Artem Dovbyk. Rangers will lament the fact Pellegrini was left in blissful isolation but it was a gorgeous strike. Ibrox, typically a boisterous place on continental evenings, had been quietened nine minutes before the break. The discontent which met the interval were subdued; Rangers were clearly in the process of being outclassed.

The second period started against a unusual backdrop. Those Rangers fans directed their focus for the latest time towards the club’s chief executive, Patrick Stewart, and sporting director, the director. Two banners, obviously menacing in message, depicted the pair with targets on their images. One wonders what the club owner makes of all this. After all, the chairman enjoyed an low-profile life as a successful businessman in the United States before fronting a takeover of Rangers. Fans have not turned on Cavenagh so far but there is a mutinous mood in the air. This is unsurprising; The team’s management is completely unconvincing.

As if scripted, Chermiti was sent through on the keeper on the hour mark and found only the outside of the goal. This actually triggered the home side’s best period of the match, in which their substitute Thelo Aasgaard shot narrowly past the post. Yet, nonetheless, hard to gauge Roma’s continued attacking motivation until the full-back was given a opportunity from close range which he inexplicably hit up and on to the underside of the crossbar.

That was it as far as meaningful opportunity were concerned. The raft of substitutions from both teams meant this game closed more in the style of a pre-season friendly than competitive match. That scenario benefited Roma fine. There was cause to ponder how exactly Rangers, finalists in this tournament in recently and strong enough of the quarter-finals a last year, reached the point of just participating.