“In the name of the entire team, I think I have to apologize to all the Italian fans.”

The Dutch certainly made the first surprise of the European Championship a stunner.
The Netherlands handed Italy, the defending World Cup champion, its worst loss in European tournament history, a 3-0 rout Monday in Bern, Switzerland, that left the Italians in danger of elimination in the first round.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder scored in the first half, and the standout defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst added the third goal on a counterattack in the 79th minute.

“It was a historic feat,” Netherlands Coach Marco van Basten said. “This was Italy, the world champion. I cannot name one player who played poorly.”

Italy’s once-proud defense looked old and slow. Van Nistelrooy tore through at will. With the injured captain Fabio Cannavaro sitting on the bench, Marco Materazzi and Andrea Barzagli were picked apart by the Dutch attack.

“It was one of the ugliest games in the last 12 years,” goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said. “In the name of the entire team, I think I have to apologize to all the Italian fans.”

The victory put Netherlands in charge in its tough first-round group. The Dutch have the only win in Group C after France tied Romania, 0-0, earlier in the day.

Italy argued that Van Nistelrooy’s breakthrough goal was offside. Van Nistelrooy deflected a 20-yard shot from Van Bronckhorst past Buffon with an Italy defender off the field next to the goal. The three goals equaled the number of goals Italy yielded in the 2006 World Cup.

“We have been able to play superb football,” Sneijder said. “Now we have to continue in the same vein.”