Rangers’ Europa League woes deepened as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against a dominant Roma side at Ibrox on Thursday night.
Danny Röhl’s tenure has yet to find momentum, with the German coach now suffering four defeats from four in the competition.
Having opened his reign with a 3-0 loss away to Brann last month and fallen 3-1 to Celtic in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semifinal, Rangers once again looked second-best on the European stage.
Roma took control early on, punishing the home side’s defensive lapses. Matías Soulé broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, converting at the far post after Bryan Cristante’s flick-on from Lorenzo Pellegrini’s corner.
Pellegrini then doubled the advantage midway through the first half, side-footing calmly past Jack Butland after fine build-up play involving Artem Dovbyk and Gianluca Mancini.
Rangers had fleeting chances to respond, Youssef Chermiti drilled narrowly wide after a Roma mix-up, and young winger Mikey Moore was denied by a last-ditch block, but Roma’s superiority in possession and composure told throughout.
The frustration among the Ibrox faithful was palpable, with chants aimed at sporting director Kevin Thelwell and chief executive Patrick Stewart ringing out during a flat second half.
Röhl reshuffled his team at the break, switching to a back four as Thelo Aasgaard replaced Jayden Meghoma, but the change did little to alter the flow of the contest.
Moore went close with a curling effort on 58 minutes, while Chermiti and Aasgaard both squandered half-chances.
At the other end, Roma’s Zeki Çelik somehow struck the crossbar from close range after Kostas Tsimikas’ knockdown, one of the few moments that might have added gloss to the scoreline.
The result leaves Rangers rooted to the bottom of their Europa League group, with qualification hopes all but extinguished and four matches still to play.
Attention may now need to shift back to domestic matters, where the club sits fourth in the Scottish Premiership, five points behind Celtic and a distant 14 adrift of leaders Hearts, before a crucial trip to Dundee on Sunday.
For Röhl, this was another sobering night, exposing both the fragility of his squad and the growing discontent surrounding Ibrox’s hierarchy.
