Netherlands seek end to Italy misery

The Netherlands will look to end a 30-year wait for a win against Italy when they take on the world champions in their opening UEFA EURO 2008™ match in Berne.

• Not since the 1978 FIFA World Cup have the Oranje got the better of Italy but Marco van Basten's men will be desperate to put recent history – to be specific, eight games without beating the Azzurri – behind them in the sides' first test in a tough-looking Group C that also includes France and Romania.

• It was in Buenos Aires on 21 June 1978 that the Dutch last beat Italy, winning 2-1 in the teams' final game of the second group stage to secure a place in the World Cup final. Italy had taken the lead through an Ernie Brandts own goal but Brandts himself restored parity before Arie Haan struck the Netherlands' winner.

• Italy have held the upper hand over the ensuing three decades, during which they have recorded two draws and six wins against the Oranje, including a penalty shoot-out triumph following a goalless semi-final at UEFA EURO 2000™.

• Despite playing against ten men from the 34th minute when Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off, the tournament co-hosts paid the price for two missed penalties during normal time.

• Frank de Boer was denied by goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and Patrick Kluivert then struck a post. Come the deciding shoot-out, the Italians prevailed 3-1 with Luigi Di Biagio, Gianluca Pessotto and Francesco Totti all converting their kicks while Toldo foiled De Boer again and Paul Bosvelt and Jaap Stam missed the target.

• The starting teams for that Amsterdam semi-final were:
Italy: Francesco Toldo, Fabio Cannavaro, Mark Iuliano, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Stefano Fiore, Demetrio Albertini, Luigi Di Biagio, Gianluca Zambrotta, Alessandro Del Piero, Filippo Inzaghi.
Netherlands: Edwin van der Sar, Paul Bosvelt, Jaap Stam, Frank de Boer, Boudewijn Zenden, Marc Overmars, Edgar Davids, Phillip Cocu, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert.

• Italy won 3-1 when the teams met again in Amsterdam on 12 November 2005. After falling behind to Ryan Babel's 37th-minute opener, the Azzurri replied with three goals in nine minutes from Alberto Gilardino (40), Mauro Camoranesi (45) and Luca Toni (49).

• The teams that evening were:
Netherlands: Edwin van der Sar, Jan Kromkamp, Ron Vlaar, Joris Mathijsen, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Denny Landzaat, Phillip Cocu, Rafael van der Vaart, Dirk Kuyt, Romeo Castelen, Ryan Babel.
Italy: Christian Abbiati, Gianluca Zambrotta, Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro, Fabio Grosso, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi, Alessandro Del Piero, Alberto Gilardino, Luca Toni.

• The Netherlands did get the better of Italy in qualifying for the quarter-finals of the 1976 UEFA European Championship, topping their group after beating the Azzurri 3-1 at home and losing 1-0 away.

• The overall record in head-to-head meetings between the countries is eight wins for Italy, two for the Netherlands and five draws.

• The Netherlands qualified as the second-placed team in Group G behind Romania with a record of W8 D2 L2. They sealed their finals' berth with a game to spare, albeit in less than spectacular fashion – beating Luxembourg 1-0 in Rotterdam.

• Van Basten led the Dutch to the last 16 at the 2006 World Cup where they lost 1-0 to Portugal. He was a key member of the Oranje team that took the European crown in 1988, scoring five goals including a spectacular second in the 2-0 final victory against the USSR.

• This is the Netherlands' sixth consecutive UEFA European Championship finals appearance and besides their 1988 triumph, they were semi-finalists in 1992, 2000 and 2004.

• Italy qualified for their fourth successive EURO as Group B winners, securing their passage to Austria-Switzerland with a 2-1 victory in Scotland in their penultimate fixture. Coach Roberto Donadoni, newly installed in place of the World Cup-winning Marcello Lippi, oversaw a record of nine wins, two draws and just one defeat – 3-1 against France in September 2006.

• Italy won their fourth World Cup at Germany 2006 but they have only won the UEFA European Championship once – beating Yugoslavia 2-0 in a replayed final in Rome in 1968 following a 1-1 draw. They were runners-up in 2000 and semi-finalists in 1988 with a team featuring Donadoni himself.

• As a player, Van Basten never beat Italy – featuring in three defeats and one draw without finding the net once. His counterpart Donadoni appeared on the winning side in two of those matches, a 1-0 home win in September 1990 and a 3-2 away success in September 1992.

• Van Basten and Donadoni played together in the AC Milan team which won the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1989. The former was also in Milan's European Cup-winning team the next year while Donadoni appeared in their 1994 triumph.

• Donadoni also featured in the 1995 UEFA Champions League final where he finished on the losing side against an AFC Ajax team that included Dutch international Edwin van der Sar.

• Van der Sar also played against a Juventus side featuring Italy forward Alessandro Del Piero in the 1996 UEFA Champions League final and subsequently played alongside Del Piero at the Turin club from 1999-2001.

• This is the 13th edition of the UEFA European Championship and the eighth edition that features a final tournament with a group phase.