2014–15 in German football

The 2014–15 season was the 105th season of competitive football in Germany.

Germany national football team
After Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, team captain Philipp Lahm announced his retirement from international football. Germany's record goalscorer Miroslav Klose also announced his retirement from international football. Per Mertesacker would join Lahm and Klose in retiring from international duty. On September 2, 2014, Bastian Schweinsteiger was announced as the new captain for Germany.

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying review
Germany were drawn into Group D for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying on February 23, 2014. The group also contains Georgia, Gibraltar, Ireland, Poland, and Scotland. Qualifying opened on September 7, 2014 with a match against Scotland in Dortmund. Germany won the match 2–1. Thomas Müller scored both goals for Germany and Ikechi Anya scored for Scotland. A foul from Charlie Mulgrew caused an injury to the left foot of Marco Reus. This foot is the same one that was injured and kept him from attending the World Cup. During stoppage time, Mulgrew was shown a second yellow card and sent off. After the first round of matches, Germany and Ireland were tied for second place in the group. Germany suffered their first competitive defeat since winning the World Cup on October 11, 2014 when Poland defeated Germany for the first time. The final score was 0–2. Germany were in third place after this matchday. A stoppage time goal from Ireland's John O'Shea cancelled out an earlier goal from Toni Kroos to cause Germany and Ireland to finish the match on October 14, 2014 tied 1–1. Germany remained in third place. On November 14, 2014 Germany defeated Gibraltar 4–0. Thomas Müller scored two goals before Mario Götze scored one goal to make the score 3–0 at half time. The final goal of the match was an own goal by Yogan Santos. After this matchday, Germany moved to second place in the group. The fifth matchday took place on March 29, 2015. Germany defeated Georgia 2–0 due to one goal each from Reus and Müller before half-time. After this round of matches, Germany were one point behind group leaders Poland.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
The draw for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was held on December 6, 2014. Germany were placed in Group B along with Ivory Coast, Norway, and Thailand.

2015 Algarve Cup
On December 18, 2014 it was announced that Germany were placed in Group A along with Brazil, China, and Sweden.

Bundesliga
The Bundesliga kicked off its season on August 22, 2014 with a match between Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg.

2. Bundesliga
The 2. Bundesliga kicked off its season on August 1, 2014.

3. Liga
The 3. Liga season kicked off on July 26, 2014.

Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen qualified for the play-off round of the Champions League by finishing in fourth place in the 2013–14 Bundesliga. The draw for the play-off round was held on August 8, 2014. Bayer Leverkusen were paired with F.C. Copenhagen. The first leg was played on August 19, 2014 at Telia Parken in Copenhagen. Bayer Leverkusen won the match 3–2. The second leg was played on August 27, 2014 at BayArena in Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen won the match 4–0 which resulted in an aggregate score of 7–2. The draw for the group stage was on August 28, 2014. Leverkusen were drawn into Group C. The first group stage match wias played on September 16, 2014 against Monaco at Stade Louis II. Leverkusen lost the match 0–1. After this matchday, Leverkusen were in third place in Group C. The second group stage match was against Benfica on October 1, 2014 at BayArena in Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen won the match 3–1. Leverkusen were in third place in Group C after the second matchday. Leverkusen played Zenit Saint Petersburg on October 22, 2014 at BayArena. Despite being reduced to ten men in the 79th minute, Leverkusen won the match 2–0. Leverkusen moved into first place in the group after this round of matches. Zenit and Leverkusen played on November 4, 2014 at Petrovsky Stadium. Leverkusen won this match 2–1. They remained in first place after this matchday. Bayer Leverkusen lost to Monaco 0–1 on November 26, 2014 at BayArena. After this matchday, Bayer Leverkusen's group lead shrank to one point. A goalless draw on December 9, 2014 at Estádio da Luz resulted in Bayer Leverkusen finishing in second place in the group stage. The draw for the round of 16 was on December 15, 2014. Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Atlético Madrid. The first leg was won by Bayer Leverkusen on February 25, 2015 by the score 1–0. After Atletico won the second leg 1–0 on March 17, 2015, the aggregate score was tied 1–1. After thirty minutes of extra time were played, the aggregate score remained tied. During the penalty shootout, Ateltico made three successful kicks while Bayer Leverkusen were successful only twice and were thus eliminated from the competition.

Bayern Munich


As champions of the 2013–14 Bundesliga, Bayern Munich qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. The draw for the group stage took place on August 28, 2014. Bayern were drawn into Group E. Their first group stage match was played on September 17, 2014 against Manchester City at the Allianz Arena. Bayern won the match 1–0. After this matchday, Bayern were in second place in Group E. Their second group game was played on September 30, 2014 against CSKA Moscow. Bayern won the match 1–0. The match was played in an empty Arena Khimki. After this matchday, Bayern were in first place in Group E. The third match of the group stage was against Roma on October 21, 2014. Bayern won the match 7–1. They were still in first place after this matchday. The two teams met again on November 5, 2014. Bayern won the match 2–0. This victory secured first place in the group for Bayern with two matches remaining. The only defeat of the group stage came on November 25, 2014 at Etihad Stadium. Manchester City won the match 3–2. The final match of the group stage was played on December 10, 2014 at Allianz Arena. Bayern defeated CSKA 3–0. The draw for the round of 16 was on December 15, 2014 and resulted in Bayern Munich being paired with Shakhtar Donetsk. The first leg ended goalless on February 17, 2015. The match was played in Lviv instead of Donetsk due to unrest in Ukraine. Xabi Alonso, who made his 100th appearance in the competition, was sent off in the 66th minute. Bayern won the second leg on March 11, 2015. The final score, as well as aggregate score was 7–0.

Borussia Dortmund
As runners-up of the 2013–14 Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. The draw for the group stage took place on August 28, 2014. Dortmund were drawn into Group D. Their first match of the group stage was played on September 16, 2014 against Arsenal at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund won the match 2–0. Dortmund were in first place in Group D after this matchday. The second group stage match was played on October 1, 2014 against Anderlecht at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. Dortmund won the match 3–0. They were in first place in Group D after the second matchday. Dortmund defeated Galatasaray 4–0 on October 22, 2014. After this round, Dortmund remained in first place in Group D. Dortmund and Galatasaray met again on November 4, 2014. Dortmund won the match 4–1 and secured a place in the round of 16. Borussia Dortmund lost to Arsenal on November 26, 2014 by a score of 0–2. The last match of the group stage was played on December 9, 2014. The match finished as a 1–1 draw between Anderlecht and Dortmund. On December 15, 2014, Borussia Dortmund were drawn against Juventus for the round of 16. On February 24, 2015, Dortmund lost the first leg 2–1. Dortmund suffered another defeat in the second leg on March 18, 2015. This time the score was 3–0 in favor of Juventus. The aggregate score after both legs was 1–5 which eliminated Borussia Dortmund.

Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04 finished in third place in the 2013–14 Bundesliga which qualified them for the group stage of the Champions League. At the group-stage draw on August 28, 2014, Schalke were drawn into Group G. Their first group stage match was on September 17, 2014 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match ended as a 1–1 draw. All four teams were tied for first place in Group G after this matchday. The second group stage match was played on September 30, 2014 against Maribor. This match also ended as a 1–1 draw. After the second matchday, Schalke were tied with Maribor for second place in Group G. Schalke defeated Sporting Lisbon on October 21, 2014 4–3. Schalke were now solely in second place. Schalke and Sporting Lisbon met again on November 5, 2014. Schalke lost the match 2–4. Even with the loss, Schalke remained in second place in the group Matchday 5 ended with a 0–5 loss to Chelsea on November 25, 2014. After this matchday, Schalke fell to third place in the group. A victory over Maribor by the score 1–0 on December 10, 2014 secured second place in the group and a place in the round of 16. The round of 16 draw on December 15, 2014 paired Schalke with defending champions Real Madrid. The first leg was played on February 18, 2015. Schalke lost the match 0–2. Schalke won the second leg on March 10, 2015 by the score 4–3. However, due to an aggregate score of 4–5, they were eliminated from the competition.

Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach qualified for the play-off round of the Europa League by finishing in sixth place in the 2013–14 Bundesliga. The draw for the play-off round took place on August 8, 2014. Mönchengladbach were paired with FK Sarajevo. The first leg was played on August 21, 2014 at Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Borussia Mönchengladbach won the match 3–2. The second leg was played on August 28, 2014. Gladbach won the match 7–0. The aggregate score of 10–2 allowed Gladbach to advance to the group stage. The draw for the group stage took place on August 29, 2014. Gladbach were placed in Group A. The first group stage match was against Villarreal on September 18, 2014 at Borussia-Park. The match ended as a 1–1 draw. Gladbach were tied for second place in Group A after this matchday. Their second group stage match was against Zürich at Letzigrund on October 2, 2014. The match ended as a 1–1 draw. After the matchday, Gladbach were in third place in Group A. Apollon Limassol played Gladbach on October 23, 2014 at Borussia-Park. Gladbach won the match 5–0 and moved to second place in the group. Gladbach and Apollon met again on November 6, 2014. Borussia Mönchengladbach won the match 2–0 to move to first place in the group. The match between Villarreal and Gladbach on November 27, 2014 ended as a 2–2 draw. Gladbach remained in first place after this matchday. The final match of the group stage was played on December 11, 2014. Gladbach defeated Zürich 3–0. This victory secured first place in the group. The draw for the round of 32 was on December 15, 2014. Borussia Mönchengladbach were paired with Sevilla. Gladbach lost the first leg 0–1 on February 19, 2015.

Mainz 05
FSV Mainz 05 finished in seventh place in the 2013–14 Bundesliga and were qualified for the third qualifying round of the Europa League. The draw for the third qualifying round was held on July 18, 2014. Mainz were paired with Asteras Tripoli F.C. The first leg was played on July 31, 2014 at Coface Arena. Mainz won the match 1–0. The second leg was played at Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium in Tripoli, Greece on August 7, 2014. Mainz lost the match 1–3. The aggregate score of 2–3 resulted in Mainz being eliminated from the competition.

VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg finished the 2013–14 Bundesliga in fifth place which earned them a berth in the group stage of the Europa League. The group-stage draw took place on August 29, 2014 and resulted in Wolfsburg being placed in Group H. Their first group stage match was against Everton on September 18, 2014 at Goodison Park. Wolfsburg lost the match 1–4. They were in last place in Group H after this matchday. The second group stage match was against Lille at the Volkswagen Arena on October 2, 2014. The match ended as a 1–1 draw. Wolfsburg were still at the bottom of the group after this matchday. FC Krasnodar played Wolfsburg on October 23, 2014 at Kuban Stadium. Wolfsburg won the match 4–2. Wolfsburg were in third place in the group after this matchday. Wolfsburg were again victorious when they defeated Krasnodar 5–1 on November 6, 2014. Wolfsburg remained in second place after this matchday. Everton defeated Wolfsburg 0–2 on November 27, 2014. Despite the defeat, Wolfsburg remained in second place in the group after this matchday. Wolfsburg defeated Lille 3–0 on December 11, 2014 to finish the group stage in second place. The draw for the round of 32 on December 15, 2014 paired Wolfsburg with Sporting Lisbon. The first leg was won by Wolfsburg 2–0 on February 19, 2015.

FFC Frankfurt
1. FFC Frankfurt finished as runners-up in the 2013–14 Bundesliga (women) and earned a berth in the Round of 32 of the Women's Champions League. On August 22, 2014, Frankfurt were drawn against BIIK Kazygurt for the round of 32. The first leg was played in Shymkent, Kazakhstan on October 8, 2014. The match ended as a 2–2 draw. The second leg was played on October 16, 2014. Frankfurt won the match 4–0. With an aggregate score of 6–2, Frankfurt advanced to the Round of 16 where they were paired with Torres. Frankfurt won the first leg against Torres on November 9, 2014 by the score 5–0. The second leg was played on November 12, 2014. Frankfurt won this match 4–0 which resulted in an aggregate score of 9–0. The draw for the quarter-finals resulted in Frankfurt facing Bristol Academy.

VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg (women) won both the 2013–14 UEFA Women's Champions League and 2013–14 Bundesliga (women). These championships qualified them for the Round of 32 of the Women's Champions League. Wolfsburg were drawn against Stabæk on August 22, 2014 for the round of 32. The first leg was played on October 8, 2014 at Nadderud Stadion in Bekkestua, Norway. Wolfsburg won the match 1–0. The second leg was played on October 16, 2014. Wolfsburg were victorious as the match ended 2–1. They advanced to the Round of 16 with an aggregate score of 3–1. They will play against SV Neulengbach in the Round of 16. The first leg was played on November 9, 2014. Wolfsburg won the match 4–0. The second leg was won by Wolfsburg 7–0 on November 12, 2014. The aggregate score for this round was 11–0. Wolfsburg was paired with FC Rosengård for the quarter-finals.

Deaths

 * July 2014 – Burkhardt Öller, 73, goalkeeper for Eintracht Braunschweig and Hannover 96.
 * 3 July 2014 – Volkmar Groß, 66, goalkeeper for Hertha BSC, FC Schalke 04, and Tennis Borussia Berlin.
 * 14 July 2014 – Horacio Troche, 79, defender for Alemannia Aachen and Bonner SC.
 * 18 July 2014 – Andreas Biermann, 33, defender for Chemnitzer FC, FC St. Pauli, and 1. FC Union Berlin among others.
 * 3 August 2014 – Helmut Faeder, 79, striker for Hertha BSC and Hertha Zehlendorf who earned one cap for West Germany.
 * 11 August 2014 – Vladimir Beara, 85, former goalkeeper for FC Viktoria Köln who also managed Freiburger FC and Viktoria Köln.
 * 13 August 2014 – Kurt Tschenscher, 85, a German referee who was the first referee to show a yellow card when he did so at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
 * 6 October 2014 – Feridun Buğeker, 81, forward for Stuttgarter Kickers
 * 27 December 2014 – Erich Retter, 89, defender for VfB Stuttgart and West Germany.
 * 10 January 2015 – Junior Malanda, 20, midfielder for VfL Wolfsburg
 * 11 January 2015 – Fritz Pott, 75, defender for 1. FC Köln who earned three caps for West Germany.
 * 1 February 2015 – Udo Lattek, 80, striker for VfL Osnabrück and others who also was manager for Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach among others.
 * 1 February 2015 – Julius Ludorf, 95, forward for SpVgg Erkenschwick.
 * 9 February 2015 – Horst Borcherding, 84, goalkeeper for VfL Osnabrück and SV Saar 05 Saarbrücken who earned 3 caps for Saarland.
 * 10 February 2015 – Manfred Wagner, 76, defender for TSV 1860 München.