Euro 2020: England fans 'gutted but proud' after final loss

Football fans said they were "gutted" but "proud" after watching England lose the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties.

England, appearing in their first major final for 55 years, were beaten 3-2 in the shootout after the match at Wembley finished 1-1.

Wearsiders Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford both featured.

Despite the defeat, fans said England's all-round performance gave them hope for a successful 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Distraught fans at the Newcastle PaddyPark fans' zone clapped the England players at the end but some looked bereft and one shouted: "I cannot do this any more."

Student Millie Carson, 18, said: "We have come so far, winning would have topped it all off.

"The team has brought the country together, everyone has been loving life in these hard times."

Jake Shepherd, a 19-year-old project coordinator, said: "I'm gutted.

"But this sets us for the World Cup - who says we cannot win it?"

Student Jack Brown, 18, said: "I'm sad we lost but they have done so well.

"I'm proud of this team."

Pickford, who was born and raised in Washington, kept five clean sheets in the tournament and was widely praised by fans, pundits and players for his efforts.

The 27-year-old came through the ranks at Sunderland and had loan spells at Darlington and Carlisle United before moving to current club Everton in 2017.

During the tournament he only conceded two goals and saved two of Italy's penalties in the final shootout.

Sunderland winger Lynden Gooch told "Pickers" to "keep proving the doubters wrong" while, ahead of the game, the club said it was "proud" of Pickford and midfielder Jordan Henderson, 31, who was born in the city and was at the Black Cats for 10 years.

The Unholy Trinity Everton Podcast said the credit Pickford deserves is "off the scale" while the goalkeeper's former coach Mark Sale said he always believed Pickford would "go on to do great things".

Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davidson said: "What a tournament he's had."

Peter Ducksbury, who is chairman of the Westmorland Football Association, was at Wembley for the match.

The former referee told BBC Radio Cumbria: "I've been to a lot of football matches in my time but I've never experienced anything like that, the atmosphere was absolutely electric.

"I'm so proud of the England team. We've had a really awful 18 months as a country and what they have done for us in the last five weeks has been phenomenal."

Italian Marta Corsi, who lives in Carlisle, said the atmosphere in her house had been "tense" with fans of both nations watching together.

She said: "It was a great game, a bit of a shame for England it ended up that way."

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