NEWS & Star readers have condemned the racist abuse directed at England players after last night's defeat.

Some members of the Three Lions team, including Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, were targeted after missing penalties in the shoot-out against Italy.

The appalling racial abuse on social media has been slammed by those at the top of the game.

It has again seen calls for social media companies to do more to root out such abuse from their platforms.

Reacting to the news on social media, readers expressed their anger at the abuse.

Tore Pi said: "It’s amazing how people were ready to worship the ground they walked on if they won, and yet this is the treatment they receive for coming second. They’ve done incredibly well to get to the final and that itself should be worth celebrating too. Abysmal behaviour."

Mandie Adams added: "Disgusting the way they are getting treated. Be a totally different story if they won."

Cheryl Orme labelled the abuse "totally abhorrent," while Janet Connelly said: "Disgusting."

Others also left comments on the News & Star's webpage - user FoxBlue said: "I've seen and reported a lot of vile abuse on Instagram. It's not just comments about their performance unfortunately, it's "go home" type comments, n-words left right and centre and too many monkey emojis to count!"

User PhylisOphical added: "If people have made racist comments on a public platform, it's there for all to see.

"If someone chooses to report it that is their business and fair play to them, I would do exactly the same.

"People who bang on about 'grasses' explain if something happened to one of your family would you not get the police involved because that would make you a 'grass'?"

England lost on penalties after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with the Italians in their first major final for 55 years.