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There was admirable efficiency about the way the Italian side dealt with this trip to Glasgow. Without much drama. The team from Rome did, however, meet favourable opposition when placing their European competition bid back on track. There was a glaring gulf in quality between Roma and a the Scottish team side that has now lost a club record seven European games in a row.

Positively, Rangers at least fought hard during a later period when capitulation felt the more likely option. However, the game was settled as a competition at that stage. The Scottish club remain anchored at the foot of the Europa League, which should represent an disgrace to a club of this standing. Roma have ambitions once more on achieving significant success. Their only regret in this match was in not producing a result appropriately depicting men against boys.

Amazingly, this represented only Roma’s second European joust with a team from Scotland since the historic Fairs Cup business with Hibs in the early 60s. The previous one, against Dundee United over two decades later, became marred (to put it politely) by the bribing of a match official. In those days, teams from Scotland could compete with the top sides in the continent. The current campaign has seen the co-efficient drop to a level that will shortly have major ramifications.

Danny Röhl’s main quality so far as the Rangers support are concerned is that he isn’t his predecessor. The latter’s ghastly tenure as the head coach lasted just over four months in the initial phase of the campaign. Röhl, the recent appointment at the helm, has shown promise though within a limited timeframe. The technical areas saw a clash of generations; Röhl is thirty-six, his counterpart Gian Piero Gasperini is sixty-seven.

A further factor was far more striking as the teams took the field. The home team’s glaring short stature against the visitors looked worrying. That concern was proven within the opening quarter-hour as the Roma midfielder easily flicked on a corner at the front post. At the back, the Argentine winger burst forward to fire Roma ahead. The visitors minus the injured Evan Ferguson and their star attacker, who have been criticised for lack of cutting edge even with reasonable performances in this campaign, were delighted with their early advantage.

The Ibrox side should have levelled matters immediately. Instead, the forward screwed his shot wide after a mix-up in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s £8m purchase from the Toffees has increased scrutiny of the Rangers transfer hierarchy. He has at least the physique to be an productive striker but appears unwilling or unable to utilize them fully.

Roma controlled first-half the ball thereafter. Roma doubled their lead through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose bent effort into the far post of the goalkeeper’s net came after a pass from Artem Dovbyk. The hosts will bemoan the fact Pellegrini was left in complete freedom but it was a gorgeous finish. Ibrox, usually a boisterous place on continental evenings, had been quietened nine minutes before the break. Even the boos which met the interval were timid; Rangers were clearly in the process of being overwhelmed.

After the break began against a unusual backdrop. Those Rangers fans directed their focus once again towards the top executive, Patrick Stewart, and sporting director, Kevin Thelwell. Two banners, obviously menacing in tone, depicted the pair with bullseyes on their images. It raises questions what the Rangers chairman thinks about the situation. After all, Andrew Cavenagh enjoyed an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States before leading a acquisition of this club. Paying punters have not turned on Cavenagh so far but there is a mutinous feeling around the club. This is unsurprising; Rangers’ leadership is completely unimpressive.

As if scripted, Chermiti was sent through on goal on the 60-minute mark and found only the side netting. This actually triggered Rangers’ finest spell of the match, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard shot narrowly past the post. Yet, nonetheless, difficult to gauge the visitors’ remaining attacking motivation until the full-back was presented with a chance all of a yard out which he inexplicably lifted and onto the underside of the bar.

That opportunity as far as clear-cut chances were concerned. The raft of substitutions from each side meant this game ended more in the style of a summer exhibition than serious contest. That scenario benefited Roma perfectly. There was cause to consider how on earth the Glasgow club, runners-up in this competition in recently and worthy of the quarter-finals a last year, reached the stage of just participating.