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There was admirable efficiency in the way the Italian side dealt with this journey to Scotland. Without much drama. The team from Rome did, nonetheless, meet favourable opposition when placing their Europa League bid back on track. There was a obvious difference in class between the Serie A outfit and a Rangers squad that has now suffered defeat in a team record seven European games in a row.

To their credit, Rangers at least huffed and puffed during a second half when capitulation felt the probable option. Yet, the match was decided as a competition at that stage. The Scottish club remain anchored at the bottom of the tournament, which should represent an embarrassment to a club of such stature. The Giallorossi have eyes again on making proper impact. One slight disappointment in this match was in not delivering a result appropriately depicting the mismatch in quality.

Amazingly, this represented only Roma’s second continental encounter with a team from Scotland since Fairs Cup fixtures with Hibernian in 1961. The previous one, against Dundee United 23 years later, became marred (to put it politely) by the corruption of a referee. In those days, Scottish clubs could compete with the top sides in the continent. This season has seen the co-efficient plunge to a point that will shortly have major ramifications.

Danny Röhl’s key attribute up to now as the fanbase are concerned is that he is not his predecessor. The latter’s dismal spell as the head coach continued for 123 days in the initial phase of the campaign. The German coach, the recent appointment at the helm, has shown promise though within a tiny sample size. The technical areas saw a clash of generations; Röhl is 36, his opposite number Gian Piero Gasperini is sixty-seven.

A further factor was far more striking as the sides took the field. Rangers’ glaring lack of height against the Italians looked ominous. This point was confirmed within 13 minutes as the Roma midfielder easily redirected a set-piece at the front post. Following up, the Argentine winger sprinted into space to fire Roma ahead. The visitors without the unavailable Evan Ferguson and their star attacker, who have been questioned for lack of cutting edge despite decent performances in this campaign, were delighted with their early advantage.

The Ibrox side should have equalised immediately. Instead, the forward sent his effort off target after a mix-up in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s eight-million-pound purchase from Everton has piled pressure on the club’s recruitment team. He has at least the physique to be an effective centre forward but appears unwilling or unable to use them.

The Italian outfit controlled first-half the ball from that point. They extended their advantage through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose bent effort into the bottom corner of Jack Butland’s net came after a lay off from Artem Dovbyk. The hosts will lament the fact Pellegrini stood in complete freedom but it was a gorgeous finish. Ibrox, typically a raucous place on continental evenings, had been silenced with time still remaining until halftime. Even the boos which met the half-time whistle were timid; Rangers were clearly in the process of being overwhelmed.

After the break began against a curious backdrop. Those Rangers fans directed their focus once again towards the club’s chief executive, Patrick Stewart, and sporting director, the director. Two banners, obviously sinister in tone, showed the duo with targets on their images. One wonders what the Rangers chairman makes of all this. After all, Andrew Cavenagh enjoyed an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the US before leading a acquisition of Rangers. Paying punters have not turned on Cavenagh so far but there is a rebellious feeling around the club. It is one which is easy to understand; Rangers’ leadership is completely unconvincing.

As if scripted, the striker was sent through on goal on the hour mark and found only the side netting. That moment sparked Rangers’ best period of the match, in which their substitute the young midfielder fired just wide. It was, nonetheless, hard to gauge the visitors’ continued offensive intent until the full-back was presented with a chance all of a yard out which he somehow lifted and on to the bottom of the bar.

That opportunity as far as clear-cut opportunity were concerned. The series of substitutions from both teams meant this fixture ended more in the fashion of a summer exhibition than serious contest. This of course suited Roma perfectly. There was cause to consider how exactly Rangers, runners-up in this tournament in 2022 and worthy of the quarter-finals a season ago, arrived at the point of just participating.