AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Ahold Delhaize, the supermarket retailer, reported on Wednesday a strong fourth quarter in its core U.S. and European markets, as the COVID-19 pandemic drove robust online sales. Net sales in the last three months of 2021 came in at 20.1 billion euros ($22.8 billion), compared to a forecast of 19.8 billion in a company-compiled poll of 18 analysts. Underlying operating income was 838 million euros in the same period, compared to a forecast of 820 million. Ahold, the owner of the U.S. Stop & Shop, Giant, Food Lion and Hannaford chains, said that it was confident it would b…