Matías Soulé and Pellegrini find the net as AS Roma dominate Rangers

There was impressive effectiveness in the way Roma dealt with this trip to Glasgow. Without much drama. The team from Italy’s capital did, nonetheless, meet favourable opposition when putting their Europa League bid back on track. Observers noted a glaring gulf in quality between Roma and a Rangers squad that has now lost a team record seven continental matches in a row.

Positively, the home side at least fought hard during a later period when capitulation felt the more likely option. However, the game was decided as a contest by then. The Scottish club remain anchored at the foot of the tournament, which should represent an embarrassment to a team of such stature. Roma have eyes again on achieving significant success. One slight disappointment here was in not delivering a scoreline that truly reflected men against boys.

Amazingly, this marked only the Roman club’s second European joust with a team from Scotland since the historic Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in the early 60s. The previous one, against Dundee United over two decades later, became overshadowed (to put it mildly) by the corruption of a referee. Back then, teams from Scotland could vie with the top sides in the continent. The current campaign has seen the co-efficient plunge to a point that will soon have major ramifications.

The new manager’s key attribute up to now as the fanbase are see it is that he isn’t his predecessor. Martin’s dismal spell as the manager lasted just over four months in the early part of this season. Röhl, the new man at the helm, has shown promise though within a tiny sample size. The dugouts witnessed a generation game; Röhl is 36, his counterpart Gian Piero Gasperini is sixty-seven.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the teams took the field. Rangers’ glaring short stature against the visitors looked ominous. This point was proven within 13 minutes as the Roma midfielder comfortably redirected a corner at the front post. At the back, Matías Soulé sprinted into space to knock Roma in front. A Roma team minus the unavailable Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been questioned for bluntness despite decent results in this campaign, were pleased with their early advantage.

Rangers could have levelled matters instantly. Instead, Youssef Chermiti screwed his shot wide after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. The player’s eight-million-pound signing 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 utilize them fully.

Roma controlled opening period the ball from that point. They doubled their lead 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 bemoan the fact the midfielder stood in blissful isolation but it was a superb finish. The stadium, typically a raucous venue on continental evenings, had been quietened with time still remaining before the break. Even the boos which greeted the half-time whistle were timid; the home team were simply in the process of being overwhelmed.

After the break started against a unusual atmosphere. Those Rangers fans directed their focus once again towards the top executive, Patrick Stewart, and transfer chief, Kevin Thelwell. A pair of displays, clearly menacing in message, showed the pair with bullseyes on their images. It raises questions what the Rangers chairman makes of the situation. Ultimately, the chairman enjoyed an anonymous career as a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States before leading a acquisition of Rangers. Fans have not targeted Cavenagh yet but there is a mutinous feeling in the air. It is one which is unsurprising; The team’s management is wholly unconvincing.

Right on cue, Chermiti was played in on goal on the 60-minute mark and found only the side netting. That moment sparked the home side’s finest spell of the match, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard fired just wide. It was, however, hard to determine the visitors’ remaining attacking motivation until the full-back was given a opportunity all of a yard out which he somehow hit up and on to the underside of the bar.

That was it as far as clear-cut opportunity were concerned. The raft of substitutions from both teams resulted in this game closed more in the fashion of a pre-season friendly than competitive match. This of course suited the Italians fine. There was cause to ponder how on earth the Glasgow club, runners-up in this tournament in 2022 and worthy of the quarter-finals a season ago, reached the stage of making up the numbers.