Soulé along with Lorenzo Pellegrini on target as AS Roma dominate Glasgow Rangers

There was impressive effectiveness in the way Roma handled this trip to Glasgow. Without much drama. The team from Italy’s capital did, nonetheless, face manageable rivals when placing their European competition bid back on track. There was a obvious gulf in quality between the Serie A outfit and a the Scottish team side that has now suffered defeat in a team record seven continental matches in a row.

Positively, Rangers at least fought hard during a later period when surrender felt the more likely outcome. However, the game was decided as a competition at that stage. Rangers remain anchored at the foot of the tournament, which should constitute an disgrace to a team of this standing. Roma have ambitions once more on achieving significant success. Their only regret in this match was in not delivering a scoreline that truly reflected men against boys.

Surprisingly, this marked only the Roman club’s second European joust with Scottish opposition since Fairs Cup business with Hibernian in 1961. The previous one, against Dundee United over two decades later, became marred (to put it politely) by the corruption of a referee. Back then, Scottish clubs could vie with the best in the continent. The current campaign has seen the co-efficient drop to a point that will soon have huge ramifications.

Danny Röhl’s main quality so far as the fanbase are see it is that he is not his predecessor. Martin’s ghastly tenure as the manager continued for 123 days in the initial phase of the campaign. Röhl, the new man at the helm, has displayed potential albeit within a limited timeframe. The technical areas saw a clash of generations; the Rangers boss is thirty-six, his counterpart the Roma manager is 67.

A further factor was much more noticeable as the sides took the field. The home team’s obvious lack of height against the visitors looked ominous. This point was proven within the opening quarter-hour as the Roma midfielder comfortably redirected a corner at the front post. Following up, the Argentine winger sprinted into space to fire his team ahead. A Roma team without the unavailable their young striker and Paulo Dybala, who have been criticised for bluntness even with reasonable results in this campaign, were delighted with their quick lead.

Rangers should have equalised immediately. Rather, the forward screwed his shot wide after a mix-up in the visitors’ backline. Chermiti’s £8m signing from the Toffees has piled pressure on the club’s recruitment team. He has at least the physical attributes to be an productive centre forward but appears reluctant or incapable to use them.

Roma dominated first-half possession from that point. They doubled their lead through their captain, whose bent effort 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. The stadium, typically a raucous place on European nights, had been silenced with time still remaining until halftime. The discontent which greeted the half-time whistle were timid; Rangers were clearly in the process of being overwhelmed.

The second period began against a curious backdrop. Supporters turned their attentions once again towards the club’s chief executive, the CEO, and sporting director, the director. A pair of displays, clearly sinister in tone, showed the pair with targets on their faces. One wonders what the club owner thinks about the situation. After all, Andrew Cavenagh enjoyed an anonymous life as a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States before fronting a takeover of Rangers. Paying punters have not turned on the owner so far but there is a mutinous feeling around the club. This is easy to understand; The team’s management is completely unimpressive.

Right on cue, Chermiti was played in on goal on the 60-minute mark and hit the side netting. This actually triggered the home side’s best period of the game, in which their replacement Thelo Aasgaard fired just wide. Yet, however, hard to determine Roma’s remaining attacking motivation until Zeki Celik was presented with a chance from close range which he somehow hit up and onto the bottom of the crossbar.

That opportunity as far as meaningful chances were concerned. The series of changes from both teams meant this fixture closed more in the fashion of a summer exhibition than serious contest. That scenario benefited Roma perfectly. It prompted reflection to ponder how on earth the Glasgow club, runners-up in this competition in 2022 and strong enough of the last eight a last year, reached the stage of making up the numbers.