BERN, Switzerland — The Netherlands handed Italy its worst loss in a European Championship, a 3-0 rout Monday that left the World Cup champions in danger of elimination in the first round.
Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder scored in the first half, and standout defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst added the third goal on a counterattack in the 79th minute.
Italy’s once-proud defense looked old and slow. Van Nistelrooy tore through the Azzurri defense at will. With injured captain Fabio Cannavaro sitting on the bench next to his crutches, Marco Materazzi and Andrea Barzagli were picked apart by the Oranje attack.
The win put Netherlands in charge of the toughest first-round group. The Dutch have the only win Group C after France tied Romania 0-0 earlier in the day.
France 0, Romania 0
ZURICH, Switzerland — Romania’s conservative approach against World Cup finalist France worked.
The undermanned French, without captain Patrick Vieira and leading scorer Thierry Henry, dominated possession, but failed to penetrate a stiff Romania defense devised by coach Victor Piturca. France showed little flair on attack.
France was intent on controlling the match early, spreading the ball around the midfield with ease. But without Henry, who has not trained in four days with a thigh injury, France got nowhere.
Vieira pulled out of training last month with a slight left thigh tear, but was on coach Raymond Domenech’s roster Monday, although, like Henry, he was idle.
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