Enzo Le Fée's second-half penalty proved decisive in this Europa League contest that had the crowd on edge from the first whistle to the last.
The Frenchman's spot-kick sent the home end into scenes of celebration rarely seen on Wearside, capping off an evening that will live long in the memory of everyone inside the ground.
It was far from a comfortable watch once the goal went in. Robin Roefs produced several important saves to preserve the lead, denying Kees Smit early in the game before making another crucial stop after the break, while Kevin Danso, Nordi Mukiele and Dan Ballard threw themselves into a string of blocks as the Dutch side searched for an equaliser in the closing stages.
Manager Régis Le Bris was full of praise for his side's mentality after the final whistle, even if he felt the scoreline could have been more comfortable given Sunderland's first-half dominance.
"We showed up to win and whatever way you choose to do that is important," Le Bris said. "I think in the first half we deserved to do that. We didn't score and it is always a shame when you build strong momentum not to score. They played in transition and they are a really good team — it was hard for us to protect the ball."
Le Bris felt his side's approach play had been effective even without the early goal their performance merited.
"The first half was good and we dominated the game with our ideas," he said. "We pressed high and they let our goalkeeper have the ball. It was different from usual but we found different solutions."
The Frenchman pointed to the character shown across the squad as reason for optimism heading into a demanding run of fixtures.
"We feel the quality of the squad and the mentality of the squad," he said. "It is about experiences, and this one was tough, but in the Premier League it is so demanding. It is a tough week but it is exactly what we want to do."
For a club that last tasted continental football over half a century ago, a first win to go with it was the perfect way to begin.