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There was impressive effectiveness in the way the Italian side dealt with this trip to Glasgow. Minimum of fuss. The team from Rome did, nonetheless, meet favourable opposition when putting their Europa League bid on the right path. There was a obvious difference in class between the Serie A outfit and a Rangers squad that has now lost a club record seven continental matches consecutively.

To their credit, Rangers at least fought hard during a later period when surrender felt the probable option. However, the game was decided as a contest at that stage. Rangers remain anchored at the foot of the Europa League, which should represent an embarrassment to a club of this standing. Roma have ambitions again on making proper impact. Their only regret here was in not delivering a scoreline appropriately depicting men against boys.

Amazingly, this marked only Roma’s second European joust with a team from Scotland since the historic Fairs Cup fixtures with Hibs in the early 60s. The previous one, against the Terrors over two decades later, became marred (to put it politely) by the corruption of a match official. Back then, teams from Scotland could vie with the best in Europe. The current campaign has seen the co-efficient plunge to a level that will soon have huge ramifications.

The new manager’s main quality so far as the Rangers support are see it is that he is not his predecessor. Martin’s dismal spell as the manager continued for just over four months in the early part of the campaign. Röhl, the new man at the helm, has displayed potential albeit within a tiny sample size. The dugouts saw a generation game; Röhl is thirty-six, his counterpart the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

Another element was much more noticeable as the sides lined up. The home team’s glaring short stature against the Italians looked worrying. This point was confirmed within 13 minutes as Bryan Cristante easily flicked on a set-piece at the near post. Following up, Matías Soulé sprinted into space to knock Roma ahead. The visitors without the unavailable their young striker and Paulo Dybala, who have been questioned for bluntness even with decent results in the tournament, were pleased with their early advantage.

The Ibrox side should have levelled matters instantly. Instead, the forward sent his effort off target after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. The player’s £8m signing from Everton has increased scrutiny of the Rangers transfer hierarchy. Chermiti possesses at least the physical attributes to be an productive striker but seems unwilling or unable to utilize them fully.

Roma dominated first-half the ball from that point. They extended their advantage through their captain, whose curling shot into the bottom corner of Jack Butland’s net arrived after a pass from the Ukrainian forward. 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 quietened with time still remaining before the break. The discontent which met the interval were timid; Rangers were simply in the process of being overwhelmed.

The second period began against a unusual backdrop. Those Rangers fans turned their attentions for the latest time towards the club’s chief executive, Patrick Stewart, and transfer chief, Kevin Thelwell. A pair of displays, clearly menacing in message, showed the duo with bullseyes on their faces. One wonders what the Rangers chairman thinks about all this. After all, Andrew Cavenagh had an anonymous career as a successful businessman in the United States before leading a takeover of Rangers. Paying punters have not targeted Cavenagh yet but there is a mutinous feeling in the air. It is one which is easy to understand; Rangers’ management is wholly unconvincing.

As if scripted, the striker was sent through on the keeper on the 60-minute mark and found only the outside of the goal. This actually triggered the home side’s finest spell of the match, in which their substitute the young midfielder shot narrowly past the post. Yet, nonetheless, hard to determine the visitors’ continued offensive intent until the full-back was presented with a opportunity from close range which he somehow lifted and on to the bottom of the crossbar.

That was it as far as clear-cut chances were involved. The raft of changes from each side meant this game closed more in the style of a summer exhibition than competitive match. That scenario benefited Roma fine. There was cause to ponder how exactly Rangers, runners-up in this competition in recently and strong enough of the quarter-finals a last year, reached the stage of just participating.