Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini on target as AS Roma dominate Glasgow Rangers

Roma displayed admirable efficiency in the way the Italian side handled this trip to Scotland. Minimum of fuss. Roma from Italy’s capital did, however, face manageable rivals when placing their Europa League bid back on track. There was a obvious gulf in quality between Roma and a Rangers side that has now lost a club record seven European games in a row.

Positively, the home side at least fought hard during a later period when surrender felt the more likely outcome. However, the game was decided as a competition by then. The Scottish club remain anchored at the bottom of the tournament, which should represent an disgrace to a team of this standing. The Giallorossi have ambitions again on achieving significant success. Their only regret in this match was in not producing a scoreline that truly reflected men against boys.

Amazingly, this represented 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 marred (to put it mildly) 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 point that will shortly have major consequences.

The new manager’s key attribute up to now as the fanbase are see it is that he is not Russell Martin. Martin’s dismal spell as the head coach lasted just over four months in the initial phase of the campaign. The German coach, the recent appointment at the helm, has shown promise albeit within a tiny sample size. The dugouts saw a clash of generations; the Rangers boss is thirty-six, his opposite number the Roma manager is sixty-seven.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the sides took the field. The home team’s glaring lack of height against the visitors looked worrying. That concern was proven within 13 minutes as Bryan Cristante easily flicked on a set-piece at the near post. At the back, Matías Soulé burst forward to fire Roma in front. The visitors without the injured Evan Ferguson and Paulo Dybala, who have been questioned for lack of cutting edge even with decent results in the tournament, were delighted with their quick lead.

Rangers should have equalised immediately. Instead, the forward sent his effort off target after a defensive error in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s eight-million-pound purchase from the Toffees has increased scrutiny of the club’s recruitment team. He has at least the physical attributes to be an effective striker but appears reluctant or incapable to use them.

Roma dominated opening period possession thereafter. They doubled their lead through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose curling shot into the bottom corner of the goalkeeper’s net arrived after a lay off from Artem Dovbyk. Rangers will bemoan the fact Pellegrini was left in blissful isolation but it was a gorgeous finish. Ibrox, typically a raucous venue on continental evenings, had been quietened with time still remaining until halftime. 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, Patrick Stewart, and transfer chief, the director. Two banners, obviously menacing in tone, depicted the duo with targets on their images. One wonders what the club owner thinks about all this. After all, Andrew Cavenagh had an low-profile career as a successful businessman in the United States before fronting a takeover of this club. Paying punters have not turned on the owner yet but there is a mutinous feeling around the club. It is one which is unsurprising; Rangers’ leadership is wholly unimpressive.

As if scripted, the striker was sent through on the keeper on the 60-minute mark and hit the side netting. This actually triggered Rangers’ best period of the match, in which their substitute Thelo Aasgaard fired just wide. It was, however, difficult to determine the visitors’ remaining offensive intent until the full-back was given 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 involved. The raft of changes from each side meant this game ended more in the fashion of a pre-season friendly than serious contest. This of course suited the Italians fine. There was cause to consider how exactly the Glasgow club, finalists in this competition in recently and worthy of the quarter-finals a last year, arrived at the point of just participating.