England have been hailed as heroes who should be “so proud” of themselves for their efforts in reaching their first major final in more than half a century.

In a nail-biting final of the Euros, the Three Lions suffered an agonising defeat in a penalty shootout at Wembley.

Liam Gallagher led the showbiz plaudits to the young England team, sending support to 19-year-old Bukayo Saka, who took the final penalty, which was saved by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Follow all the live reaction to England’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 defeat

He tweeted simply: “Love saka.”He added: “It’s all good Bruv I love you kid we go and smash the World Cup. It is what it it is.”

Singer Adele watched the final from the US and shared a picture showing her in her England shirt after the game.

“You did us so proud!” Adele wrote. “You brought our game home and brought us all together.”

Meanwhile, rappers Dave, Wretch32 and Giggs all posted the same image of Rashford, Sancho, Sterling and Saka, with the former calling them “my guys”.

Elsewhere, Hollywood star Orlando Bloom told the lads to keep their “heads up” and that they were a “team we love and support”, while England’s unofficial hype-man Ross Kemp said “the ride’s over” in a muted video message, but added that England has “inspired a nation”.

Celebrities were also among those calling out the racist abuse on social media directed towards the team’s black players, with Line Of Duty’s Martin Compston saying that “those that boo and abuse them are what’s wrong with” the country, while musician Lily Allen said it was “truly pathetic and entirely predictable behavior [sic] from England fans”.

Among those from the world of sport, Alex Scott, former England women’s player and TV pundit, simply said she was “proud”, while sharing pictures of Saka, Rashford, and Sancho wearing crowns, while Gary Lineker said: “This is not the end for this young England side, it’s just the beginning.”

Speaking to Sky News, former Liverpool and England player John Barnes said the best team did win on the night, and that England did “really well to get to full time”, but admitted that penalties had an “inevitability” about them.

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Rio Ferdinand congratulated the Italian team while reflecting on the Three Lions, saying they have made the country “proud like no other team before them”, as well as singling out Saka, Sancho and Rashford for their bravery in the penalty shoot-out.

Sky Sports legend Chris Kamara posted an emoji-filled reaction saying he was “gutted” for the players and Southgate, with Michael Owen calling the result “heartbreaking”, adding the squad has a “bright future”.

Prince William, who was at the match with the Duchess of Cambridge and their son Prince George, urged the players to “hold your heads high”.

In a tweet from Kensington Palace, the Duke of Cambridge congratulated the Italian football team on their win, writing: “Heartbreaking. Congratulations Azzurri on a great victory. 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.”

In politics, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was also at the match with his wife Carrie, tweeted: “That was a heartbreaking result to end #Euro2020 but Gareth Southgate and his England squad played like heroes.

“They have done the nation proud and deserve great credit.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, also sent his commiserations to a team, saying they demonstrate “the very best of our country”.

He tweeted: “Heartbreaking. On and off the pitch, this team is the very best of our country. They’ve done us proud.”