Experimental England side hold world champions Germany to draw

10 November 2017 22:25

England enjoyed a glimpse of the future at Wembley as a fresh-faced side battled world champions Germany to a draw.

With a host of familiar faces either injured or overlooked, Gareth Southgate dished out five debuts in an experimental team which earned its share of a goalless, but not guileless, friendly.

Germany had the better chances, Leroy Sane was denied by the crossbar and Phil Jones’ brave header, but eye-catching bows from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek meant the Three Lions left with plenty of credit.

Tweet of the match

Star man – Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Loftus-Cheek marked his England bow with a fine display
Ruben Loftus-Cheek impressed on his England debut (Adam Davy/Empics)

The Crystal Palace midfielder took to senior international football like a duck to water. On loan from Chelsea, the 21-year-old stood out at Wembley and just ousted fellow debutant Pickford to the man-of-the-match award. Classy in possession, Loftus-Cheek showed that he is capable not only of playing at this level but also mixing it against some of the most respected international opposition. It will be interesting to see if he is given the chance to build on such a strong showing against Brazil on Tuesday night.

Moment of the match

The pre-match ceremony to mark the upcoming Memorial Day was always going to be all the more special given the two nations involved in this fixture. The two national anthems were immaculately respected, unlike in the previous meeting in Dortmund, as was the minute’s silence.

Stat of the match

As proof that this was largely an experimental side from Southgate, Manchester United defender Jones picked up his 24th cap at Wembley and was the most experienced England player on the pitch at kick-off.

Ratings

England: Jordan Pickford 8 (out of 10), Phil Jones 7, Harry Maguire 7, John Stones 7, Kieran Trippier 7, Eric Dier 7, Jake Livermore 6, Danny Rose 7, Ruben Loftus-Cheek 8, Jamie Vardy 7, Tammy Abraham 7. Subs: Joe Gomez (for Jones, 25) 7, Marcus Rashford (for Abraham, 60) 6, Ryan Bertrand (for Rose, 71) 6, Kyle Walker (for Trippier, 71) 6, Jack Cork (for Livermore, 86) 6, Jesse Lingard (for Vardy, 86) 6.

Germany: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen 7, Matthias Ginter 7, Mats Hummels 7, Antonio Rudiger 7, Joshua Kimmich 7, Ilkay Gundogan 6, Mesut Ozil 6, Marcel Halstenberg 6, Julian Draxler 6, Timo Werner 7, Leroy Sane 7. Subs: Emre Can (for Draxler, 67) 6, Sandro Wagner (for Werner, 73) 6, Sebastian Rudy (for Gundogan, 86) 6, Julian Brandt (for Sane, 86) 6.

Who’s up next?

Solid debut, @tammyabraham1 ????

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England v Brazil (Friendly, November 14)

Germany v France (Friendly, November 14)

Source: By PA Sport Staff