Preparation and analysis are essential to all football teams, especially in a friendly after a long break. Match analysis plays a central role here and is useful for players and coaching staff alike both ahead of, and after a game.

Behind the scenes of match analysis

This intensive analysis of an upcoming opponent begins in the days before the game. The coaching team evaluates videos of the opponent's last few games and analyses typical patterns of movement, tactical alignments and player’s individual strengths. In doing so, key questions are addressed. How does the opponent operate offensively? Where are the weak points in defence? Or which set-piece situations do they prefer to use?

These insights are then prepared and conveyed as succinctly as possible to the players in various formats. Video analyses are often embedded in meetings before a game, in which the coaching team shows specific game situations. The focus is on making the analysis vivid and practical so that each player develops a clear understanding of their tasks on the pitch.

This morning, ahead of Leverkusen, the key points were summarised in a final meeting as reminders. Then, when the referee blows the starting whistle, it is the player’s job to make the theory of the past few days become reality on the pitch.

First test in 2025

The friendly between 1. FC Union Berlin and Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s women’s teams ended with a win 2-1 win for the side currently fouth in the Bundesliga after 120 minutes. An own goal from Tomke Schneider was cancelled out by Nele Bauereisen, who scored her first goal for Union. Six minutes before the end, Delice Boboy scored the 1winner for Leverkusen.

1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl (41. Wagner (81. Hornschuch)) – Steinert (81. Rurack), Schneider (81. Niesler), Niesler (41. Sakar (8 1. Weiß), Weiß (41. Metzker (81. Heikkinen)) – Köster (81. Trojahn), Blaschka (66. Frank), Moraitou (66. Janez) – D. Orschmann (66. Halverkamps (101. Bach)), Heiseler (66. Bauereisen), Reissner (81. Seiro)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Repohl (92. Moll) – Menglu (41. Bragstad), Ostermeier (81. Schwarze), Turanyi (81. Friedrich), Levels (81. Lindner) – Zdebel (81. Daedelow), Pil jic (81. Bartz (92. Vilhjalmsdottir)) – Vilhjalmsdottir (62. Grant), Kögel (81. Menglu) – Boboy (62. Mickenhagen), Kehrer (92. Boboy)

Goals: 0-1 Schneider (19., own goal), 1-1 Bauereisen (83.), 1-2 Boboy (114.)

Unlucky own goal puts Leverkusen ahead

Saturday’s friendly marked the end of the week-long training camps in Spain for both teams. As expected, the Bundesliga side from Leverkusen had the greater of possession in the gorgeous sun of Oliva Nova but were rarely able to create scoring chances in the first third of forty minutes.

Union, meanwhile, repeatedly struck back with lightning breaks, but also rarely got to test the opposition goalkeeper. The fact that Leverkusen were able to take the lead without having carved out a significant scoring opportunity was due to an unfortunate own goal after 19 minutes. B04 striker Caroline Kehrer’s cross was volleyed over the line by winter newcomer, and debutant Tomke Schneider.  

If the setting was stunning, the game settled down after that into a midfield battle. But chances remained few and far between on both sides.  

No goals in the second third 

Union started the second period energetically and had the first shot on target after 45 minutes when Dina Orschmann tested Leverkusen’s stopper, Friederike Repohl, with a 25-yard drive. If the keeper’s had been whiling away the time in the first 40 minutes, now they were in the thick of things and Union’s substitute,  Melanie Wagner, made a superb stop after an hour from Delice Boboy, when she flung herself to her left and pushed her long range effort over the bar with her fingertips.

Bayer increased the pressure, but Wagner was excellent and stopped everything that came her way. After a quadruple change in the 66th minute, the Berliners became livelier again, however, another goal chance did not arise, so it remained 0-1 for Leverkusen after the second 40 minutes.  

Bauereisen equalises on her debut – Boboy scores shortly before the end

At the beginning of the last third, Schneider, Leonie Köster and Nele Bauereisen were finally joined by the Finnish winter signings Elli Seiro and Ida Heikkinen as having made their Union debut. And they came out of the break for the final period with a point to prove, winning a rash of corners in the first few minutes. And it was through one of the set-pieces that saw Union equalise after 83 minutes. Antonia Halverkamps' deep, swinging ball found the tallest player in the Union squad, Nele Bauereisen, rising in the six-yard box, from where she headed the ball past Repohl.  

Union proved more than a match for the side from a league above as the game went on, and the equaliser was well deserved. The game was open and engaging, with a slight majority of possession for Union, but further high-quality chances were largely absent.

In the final minutes, it seemed as if the draw was now a certainty, before Bayer striker Delice Boboy suddenly completed a counterattack by Leverkusen in the 114th minute. From the edge of the six-yard box, the 18-year-old crashed the ball into the top corner. It was the last significant action of the match, and the Union players could cheer themselves with the performance, if not the ultimate result.

The views after the game

After the final whistle, the second important part of the match analysis begins, the follow-up. The coaching team reviews the recordings of the game and compares them with the set goals. What went well? Where were there difficulties? And how can these be avoided in the future?

“We have gradually implemented the content that we developed in the training camp well today,” was Union head coach, Ailien Poese’s assessment. “In the first 20 minutes, Leverkusen had more of the game, but basically, we did well defensively after a small adjustment and got more possession after the goal against. We may not have been completely happy with the decisions we made in one situation or another, but overall, it was a very good test. In the end, it's a 2-1 defeat, but we can take a lot away with us and are therefore satisfied.”

‘It wasn't really about scoring points today, but about getting into the game as a team and, above all, for us as newcomers. Nevertheless, we played a good game and defended strongly both with and against the ball. The fact that Leverkusen play at such a high level made it a very good test for us, so we're generally satisfied. The coaching team gave us a few things that we were able to implement well. We trained hard throughout the week to learn as much as possible. We were able to put some of it on the pitch today, and we'll consolidate the rest in the coming weeks,’ explained Nele Bauereisen.

Goalkeeper Sarah Hornschuch analysed: ‘It was definitely a good test. We played against a very strong team in Leverkusen. In the end, of course, it's annoying that we lost, but I think we can take a lot of things with us. We did a lot of things well and, on the other hand, it's also great to have an opponent like that to show us where we might still have weaknesses or potential for improvement. I think we can still work on creating goal-scoring opportunities with more compulsion. However, we played very well out from the back and also stood firm defensively.’

Quote of the day: ‘As I said in my introduction video, I'm quite tall and yes, I scored a header’ - Nele Bauereisen on her debut goal.

The diary entries at a glance:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7