Young England side earn goalless draw with Germany

LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - England held world champions Germany to a 0-0 draw after giving debuts to five players as their inexperienced team came through a first-half lesson in a lively Wembley friendly on Friday.

With a host of established players missing, England’s callow defence was routinely sliced open in the first period as Leroy Sane hit the bar and the home side's debutant goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made two smart saves to deny Timo Werner.

But England also had some bright moments, with midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek making an assured debut and Tammy Abraham desperately close to scoring with his first touch in senior international football in the second minute.

The hosts held their own in a slower-paced second half and Germany keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen made an excellent reflex save to deny Jamie Vardy, but the game drifted to a draw.

The result stretched Germany's unbeaten run to 20 games since the Euro 2016 semi-finals with England still searching for their first home win over their old rivals since 1975.

England will face a similarly stiff test when they host Brazil on Tuesday while Germany take on France as the teams start preparing for the World Cup finals in Russia next year. (Reporting by Mitch Phillips; editing by Ken Ferris)