Time to hand over to my colleague, Emma Kemp, who will guide you through more reaction from England, Italy and beyond. The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, has given his reaction: “That was a heartbreaking end to #Euro2020 but Gareth Southgate and his England squad played like heroes. They have done the nation proud and deserve great credit.” Prince William tweeted: “England, you’ve all come so far, but sadly, this time it wasn’t our day. You can all hold your heads high, and be so proud of yourselves – I know there’s more to come.” “Heartbreaking. On and off the pitch, this team is the very best of our country. They’ve done us proud,” wrote the Labour leader, Keir Starmer on Twitter. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the team had “inspired millions across the country” and “made history. You’ve inspired millions across the country, and London is so proud of you.” Here is a bit of Barney Ronay, reflecting on England’s Euro 2020 run: “It was nearly complete, it was nearly so sweet. But it was, lest we forget, still sweet all the same. For Gareth Southgate and his young team, defeat came in the cruellest, most operatic fashion at Wembley as England’s shot at a first tournament victory in 55 years was decided by another of those brutal little flick-books of joy and despair.” In more deeply depressing news, several England players including Bukayo Saka have been subjected to racial abuse on social media after the match. The FA has released a statement condemning the abuse and calling for “accountability and action”. The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media. We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible. We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences. Social media companies need to step up and take accountability and action to ban abusers from their platforms, gather evidence that can lead to prosecution and support making their platforms free from this type of abhorrent abuse. The Metropolitan Police have reported 45 arrests while policing the final. In case you missed it earlier, a number of fans also got into Wembley despite not having tickets. Let’s hope for a more peaceful night from here on. Let’s get some pundit reaction to England’s defeat, with plenty quick to defend the players who stepped up and missed spot-kicks. “I’ve seen seasoned players with hundreds of games under their belts turn away,” the BBC’s Rio Ferdinand said in defence of those who missed. Alan Shearer was critical of Gareth Southgate’s decision to bring players on late for penalties. “It’s a big ask to put players on with a minute to go and say ‘go and take a penalty’ when they’ve had no feel of the ball,” he said. On ITV, Ian Wright had words of comfort for Bukayo Saka. “He is more than capable of taking that penalty,” Wright said. “He is brave enough to take it. I am devastated for him. We have done brilliantly to get to where we got to but in the end we just got pipped.” Roy Keane added: “It’s not a night be critical of England. I think Gareth and his staff have been magnificent. It’s a tough night for England but sometimes you have to lose to win. You have to take your medicine. There has been huge progress in the last few years and the World Cup is around the corner.” Niall McVeigh here, picking up the blog with more reaction. Away from England’s pain, Italy were undeniably the tournament’s best team, and looked favourites from the opening game when they swept Turkey aside. Here’s Nicky Bandini on how they did it: David Hytner was also there, and his match report has landed. Here’s his take on a wildly fluctuating night at Wembley, when Italy deservedly became champions of Europe for the second time, breaking English hearts in the process. Many congratulations to Italy, and huge commiserations to England, who follow up semi-final defeat in the World Cup with a final loss at the Euros. Hey, there’s a trend here. Victory in Qatar next winter? You never know. Tonight’s match went down quite well in Rome, as you’d imagine. Here’s Angela Giuffrida on an outcome few expected when the tournament started last month. As for what he told the team back in the dressing room afterwards: “We are all together, they’ve been incredible to work with. They’ve given the country some unbelievable memories. Tonight will be extremely difficult for us of course, and you have to feel that disappointment because the opportunity to win trophies like this are so rare in your life. But when they reflect what they’ve done, they should be incredibly proud of themselves. At the moment, the pain of the defeat is huge, we wanted to give the nation one more special night and we weren’t able to do it. The World Cup feels a million miles away, but this team can be better and can improve, the number of young players we have blooded, they have been fantastic. But the future ... yeah, I need a bit of time to reflect on that.” And then he leaves the stage, his heart broken, but with great dignity. More from England’s manager on the penalties. “We were well prepared and obviously started it well, but unfortunately the guys weren’t able to convert tonight. They can’t look at themselves in terms of how they practised because they couldn’t have done any more or anything better.” Gareth Southgate speaks to the BBC. “We’re hugely disappointed. The players have been an absolute credit, they’ve given everything they possibly could. They’ve run themselves into the ground. At times they played really well, at times we didn’t keep the ball quite well enough, especially at the start of the second half, but we can’t have any recriminations, they’ve been a joy to work with. They’ve gone further than we’ve gone for so long, but tonight it’s incredibly painful in that dressing room. It’s down to me. I decided on the penalty takers based on what they’ve done in training, and nobody is on their own. We won together as a team, and it’s on all of us for not being able to win the game tonight. But in terms of the penalties, that’s my call. It totally rests with me.” An understandably dejected Harry Kane talks to the BBC. “I couldn’t have given more, the boys couldn’t have given more. Penalties are obviously the worst feeling in the world when you lose. It wasn’t our night, but it’s been a fantastic tournament and we should be proud to hold our heads up high. It’s going to hurt now, but we’re on the right track and are building. Hopefully we can make progress from this next year. Italy are a great side. We got off to a perfect start and maybe dropped a little too deep, it’s easy to try to soak up the pressure and hold onto that. To be fair we looked fairly in control, and they got their break from the set piece. Penalties is penalties. We went through our process, the boys did everything they could, it just wasn’t our night. These things can happen. Anyone can miss a penalty. We win together, we lose together. The boys can grow from it, and it gives us motivation for the World Cup next year. We’re all winners, we want to win, and it will probably hurt for the rest of our careers, but that’s football.” The Wembley arch lights up in Azzurri blue. Fireworks top it off. Then the red, white and green of the Italian flag scrolls across the sky. Italy go off to jig about in front of their fans, while the smattering of English supporters who have stayed to congratulate the winners smile wryly. “There has been no shame in this defeat, nor the tournament performance for this team,” writes Graeme Thorn. “The majority of the squad are young enough to give 2022 and 2024 a real go and they definitely can build on this experience.” The first Italian up? The stricken Leonardo Spinazzola, on crutches. He hops up with the sunniest smile of the evening spread across his face; he deserves his gold medal as much as any of tonight’s finalists, on account of his brilliance up until his unfortunate injury. Once everyone gets their medal, Giorgio Chiellini, tears stinging his eyes, a grin as wide as the Wembley arch, takes possession of the Henri Delaunay Cup and, as ticker tape fills the air, hoists it high above his head. Italy are the winners of Euro 2020! Now Italy applaud their vanquished opponents, as Gareth Southgate leads his team to receive their silver medals. Most of them immediately take them off as they’re hung around their neck, but they’ll become precious baubles given time. A warm embrace between Southgate and Roberto Mancini. Eder comes out with the Henri Delaunay Cup again, this time to hand it over to the new champions of Europe. Before that ceremony begins, Gianluigi Donnarumma is handed the award for Player of the Tournament. Then Italy form a guard of honour, applauding referee Bjorn Kuipers and his team as they go up to receive their commemorative trinkets. Southgate gathers his squad into a huddle. No doubt he’ll get some flak for sending on Rashford and Sancho to their fate, and for selecting the 19-year-old Saka to take the decisive fifth kick. But these are three sensational players, and things happen in football. Here’s to the country throwing a loving arm around all three, plus the manager, because they deserve to be cut all the slack for the joy they’ve given the country during this tournament ... and for making England’s first final for 55 years. It hurts now, but it’s been a blast, right? Italy cavort. They were the better side tonight, and proved themselves the best team of the entire tournament. It’s a worthy victory. They’ve beaten favourites Belgium, a resurgent Spain, and now an excellent young England side. They’ve waited a long time for a second European Championship - 53 years - and will enjoy their party tonight! Gareth Southgate has been here before, and uses his experience to console poor Jadon Sancho, who looks more shocked than upset right now, though you suspect the tears won’t be long in coming. Who could blame the poor young lad? Bukayo Saka blows his cheeks out, utterly deflated. Jack Grealish stands with hands on hips. Harry Maguire wears a blank look as he struggles to process the disappointment. Harry Kane claps the fans who have chosen to stay and thank their heroes. Declan Rice tries to put on a brave face before crumbling. England have been brilliant this month, and came so close; it’s heartbreaking to see these young men so upset. But they can be proud of their efforts, each and every one. When the sting of defeat subsides, they’ll look back on this tournament with fondness. RESULT: Italy 1-1 England (aet; Italy win 3-2 on pens) As Donnarumma disappears under a pile of azzurri shirts, Saka dissolves into tears. Italy are champions of Europe again, for the first time since 1968! Congratulations to Italy, commiserations to England. England’s wait goes on; no trophy for their remarkable young squad, but they remain heroes all. PENALTIES: Italy 3-2 England. Saka goes right. Donnarumma reads his intention, and parries. Italy are the champions of Europe! PENALTIES: Italy 3-2 England. Jorginho made things look simple against Spain. Can he do it again? He takes one of his cute little leaps, and rolls towards the bottom left ... but Pickford reads it, pushing the ball onto the post and out! England are still alive! PENALTIES: Italy 3-2 England. Sancho takes a skip and chips towards the bottom right. Donnarumma guesses correctly, and Italy are a kick away from victory. PENALTIES: Italy 3-2 England. Bernardeschi slams one straight down the middle, Pickford diving out of the way. PENALTIES: Italy 2-2 England. Rashford stutters ... and drags a poor effort onto the base of the left-hand post and out. All level again. PENALTIES: Italy 2-2 England. Bonucci hoicks into the top left. Pickford guesses correctly, and flings a hand towards it, but there’s no stopping a well-placed kick. PENALTIES: Italy 1-2 England. Maguire, grim faced, steps up. He whistles a stunner into the top right! Unstoppable! PENALTIES: Italy 1-1 England. Belotti takes a straight run-up, pauses ... and sends a weak effort towards the bottom right. Pickford guesses right and saves! Advantage England! PENALTIES: Italy 1-1 England. Kane comes up first for England. He looks pensive, perhaps thinking about the one he missed against Denmark. He whips into the bottom left, out of Donnarumma’s reach. PENALTIES: Italy 1-0 England. Berardi up first. He chews nervously ... but slots into the bottom left, sending Pickford the wrong way. Italy have won the toss. They’ll take the first penalty. Good news for England: no team has ever won two penalty shoot-outs at a European Championship finals. Italy, of course, got past Spain in the semis by winning one. England’s competitive record in shootouts is three wins and six losses, while Italy also have a negative balance, winning five and losing seven. Both keepers, with the chance to be the hero of the hour, receive their pep-talks from the backroom staff. Gareth Southgate and Roberto Mancini get their men into huddles and talk about the big picture. EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Italy 1-1 England Nope. Penalties here we come! ET 30 min +3: Jorginho swings one in from the right. Too much juice. It flies out serenely for a goal kick. The ball’s launched down the other end. Throw for England. One last chance to fling one into the box and cause some bedlam? ET 30 min +2: Italy continue to probe. They’re finishing strongly. ET 30 min +1: Bernardeschi whips the corner towards the near post. It’s flicked on, but there’s nobody in the six-yard box to trundle home for the Italians! England catch their breath. That was the first of three extra minutes. ET 30 min: Before the corner can be taken, England make two changes, with penalties presumably in mind. Walker and the sub Henderson make way for Sancho and Rashford. ET 29 min: Italy knock it around the middle, back and forth, back and forth. Suddenly Florenzi strides down the left and wins a corner off Henderson. ET 28 min: Emerson makes way for Florenzi. ET 27 min: Grealish dribbles down the left but runs the ball out for a goal kick. Penalties loom ever closer. ET 26 min: Bernardeschi whips a ball into the England box from the left. It hits the hand of Stones, and Italy want a penalty, but there was no distance whatsoever between the two players, and the referee isn’t interested. ET 25 min: England have a free kick, then, in Italian territory, with Jorginho - who had also stayed down, in order to take the sting out of that situation - momentarily off the field. Phillips floats one in. Easy pickings for Donnarumma. Jorginho comes back on to jeers. ET 24 min: Grealish is good to continue, thankfully. ET 23 min: Grealish is down, after coming off worse when challenging for a loose ball with Jorginho. The Italian’s studs bounce off the top of the ball and onto Grealish’s thigh. It’s a yellow card, and it could easily have been a red. ET 21 min: Sterling dribbles in from the right, and just for a second, looks like he’ll spin away from Chiellini on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. But Chiellini sticks to his back like glue, then hooks the ball clear with a telescopic leg. What defending! ET 20 min: England drop the pace, and stroke it around the back for a while. What’s worse? Missing a penalty in the shoot-out or making a mistake with time running out? Decisions, decisions. ET 18 min: A long throw from Walker, in from the right, causes all manner of bedlam in the Italian box. It’s only half cleared. Kane crosses it back in from the left. Stones is inches away from connecting with a header, eight yards out, but Donnarumma does enough to put him off with a full-scale flap. A few nerves rattling at both ends, it’s fair to say. ET 17 min: Bernardeschi sends the free kick goalwards with some pace, but it’s straight at Pickford, who chests, then collects the loose ball. For a split second, England hearts were in mouths, but the keeper looked in control. ET 16 min: Maguire is booked for clanking his way through the back of Belotti, who was shielding the ball 25 yards from the England goal. Italy get the second half underway. “Just leaving work now,” writes Gary Naylor. “Like England, I’m going to miss the penalties.” Some textbook fate-tempting there.