🔗 Share this article

Roma displayed impressive effectiveness in the way Roma dealt with this journey to Scotland. Minimum of fuss. Roma from Rome did, nonetheless, meet favourable opposition when placing their Europa League bid on the right path. Observers noted a glaring difference in class between Roma and a Rangers squad that has now suffered defeat in a club record seven European games in a row.

Positively, the home side at least huffed and puffed during a later period when capitulation felt the probable outcome. Yet, the game was settled as a competition by then. Rangers remain anchored at the foot of the tournament, which should represent an embarrassment to a club of this standing. The Giallorossi have ambitions once more on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment here was in not delivering a scoreline appropriately depicting men against boys.

Surprisingly, this represented only Roma’s second European joust with Scottish opposition since the historic Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in the early 60s. Their last such match, against Dundee United over two decades later, became overshadowed (to put it politely) by the bribing of a match official. Back then, teams from Scotland could compete with the best in Europe. This season has seen the UEFA coefficient drop to a point that will soon have huge ramifications.

The new manager’s main quality so far as the Rangers support are see it is that he isn’t his predecessor. The latter’s ghastly tenure as the head coach lasted 123 days in the early part of the campaign. Röhl, the new man 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 counterpart the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the sides lined up. The home team’s glaring lack of height against the visitors 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. The visitors minus the injured their young striker and their star attacker, who have been questioned for bluntness despite decent performances in the tournament, were delighted with their early advantage.

The Ibrox side could have equalised instantly. Instead, the forward screwed his shot wide after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s £8m signing from Everton has increased scrutiny of the club’s recruitment team. Chermiti possesses at least the physical attributes to be an effective striker but appears reluctant or incapable to utilize them fully.

Roma controlled opening period the ball thereafter. They extended their advantage through their captain, whose curling shot into the bottom corner of the goalkeeper’s net arrived after a pass from Artem Dovbyk. The hosts will lament the fact Pellegrini stood in complete freedom but it was a gorgeous strike. Ibrox, usually a raucous place on continental evenings, had been silenced nine minutes before the break. Even the boos which met the interval were subdued; the home team were simply in the midst of being outclassed.

After the break began against a unusual backdrop. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions for the latest time towards the top executive, the CEO, and sporting director, the director. A pair of displays, obviously sinister in tone, depicted the pair with bullseyes on their faces. One wonders what the Rangers chairman thinks about all this. After all, Andrew Cavenagh enjoyed an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States before leading a acquisition of Rangers. Paying punters have not targeted the owner yet but there is a rebellious mood around the club. This is easy to understand; The team’s leadership is completely unconvincing.

Right on cue, Chermiti 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 game, in which their replacement the young midfielder fired just wide. Yet, nonetheless, difficult to gauge Roma’s remaining offensive intent until Zeki Celik was presented with a chance all of a yard out which he inexplicably lifted and on to the bottom of the crossbar.

That opportunity as far as clear-cut chances were concerned. The raft of changes from each side resulted in this fixture ended more in the fashion of a summer exhibition than serious contest. That scenario benefited Roma perfectly. There was cause to ponder how exactly Rangers, finalists in this competition in recently and strong enough of the last eight a last year, reached the stage of making up the numbers.