England 0 Argentina 0

An uninspired Argentina held an experimental England side to a 0-0 draw at Wembley.

The brightest feature of the game for the home side was the form of Leicester City striker Emile Heskey and he dominated left wing play in the first half without himself or strike partner Alan Shearer managing a shot on target.

Shearer headed just wide from a deep corner by David Beckham in the 11th minute and ten minutes later fell as he tried to reach a good cross from Heskey who had made a powerful run down the left.

England placed David Beckham at the centre of their midfield but his influence on the game was minimal although a first half free kick went only a foot wide as it dipped past the goal.

Andy Cole managed a shot in the 80th minute that tested goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero as he turned on a Scholes through pass while Kily Gonzales fired just wide for Argentina from long range.

Argentina substituted Gabriel Batistuta for Hernan Crespo just after an hour and the Parma man stumbled in front of goal when presented with a good chance to find the target.

The sombre tone of the game was marked by both sides wearing black arm bands in tribute to the death two hours before kick off of England legend Sir Stanley Matthews.