Josh Windass described Sheffield Wednesday’s performance in the second hour against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen as ‘dominant’ and voiced his frustration over several aggressive fouls during the match.

The game, played in Zell am Ziller, featured 120 minutes split into four half-hour quarters. During the match, Danny Röhl made 11 pre-planned substitutions at the halfway mark. The Owls, trailing by two goals, rallied to secure a 2-2 draw with goals from Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama.

Reflecting on the strong second-hour effort, Windass, who initiated the move for Musaba’s goal, expressed his fatigue. “I wouldn’t say strong!” Windass joked. “That was hard, it was so hot, and we were pressing so intensely, 60 minutes on a small pitch. It was a tough workout. We’d been working on everything you saw today this week, building through the middle of the pitch, passing in the final third. Sometimes it didn’t come off, we’re still improving, but I think that second period particularly was bang on.”

The match featured several intense challenges, unusual for a July friendly, which added a competitive edge to the game, watched by a crowd predominantly of Werder Bremen supporters. Despite the disruptive nature of these fouls, Windass felt the Owls benefited from the experience.

“It’s a friendly and you don’t want people getting out of hand and making bad fouls,” he said. “It’s annoying when you’re seeing clear fouls and both teams know it. It is what it is, everyone worked hard. Those are a top team in Germany, so to come and be dominant in that last 60 minutes was good, and it has done us good going into the season.”