1955 German football championship
| Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | West Germany |
| Dates | 4 May – 26 June |
| Teams | 9 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Rot-Weiss Essen 1st German title |
| Runner-up | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
| European Cup | Rot-Weiss Essen |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 29 |
| Goals scored | 107 (3.69 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Franz Islacker (10 goals) |
The 1955 German football championship was the culmination of the football season in West Germany in 1954-55. Rot-Weiss Essen were crowned champions for the first time after a group stage and a final.
It was Rot-Weiss Essen's first (and only) appearance in the German final, while Kaiserslautern were making their fifth appearance. It was also the fourth time Kaiserlautern had reached the final in five years, following their championship wins in 1951 and 1953, and their defeat in 1954.
The format used to determine the German champions was different from that which was used in the 1954 season. Nine teams qualified for the tournament, with those who qualified as a runner-up having to play qualifying matches. The remaining eight teams were split into two groups of four, and played two rounds of matches with games played home and away. The two group winners then played the national final.
Qualified teams
The teams qualified through the 1954–55 Oberliga season:
| Club | Qualified from |
| Hamburger SV | Oberliga Nord champions |
| Bremerhaven 93 | Oberliga Nord runners-up |
| Rot-Weiss Essen | Oberliga West champions |
| SV Sodingen | Oberliga West runners-up |
| Viktoria 89 Berlin | Oberliga Berlin champions |
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | Oberliga Südwest champions |
| VfR Wormatia Worms | Oberliga Südwest runners-up |
| Kickers Offenbach | Oberliga Süd champions |
| SSV Reutlingen 05 | Oberliga Süd runners-up |
Competition
First qualifying round
| 4 May 1955 | SV Sodingen | 3 – 0 | SSV Reutlingen 05 | Ludwigshafen |
Wächter  27'Demski 34'Linka 71' |
Stadium: Südweststadion Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Tretter (Ammer) |
| 4 May 1955 | Bremerhaven 93 | 3 – 3 a.e.t. | VfR Wormatia Worms | Düsseldorf |
| Lang 38' Mokroß 40'Kapteina 46' |
Rupprecht 17' Mechnig 47'Lill 65' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Rheinstadion Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Ternieden (Oberhausen) |
Replay
| 5 May 1955 | Bremerhaven 93 | 3 – 2 | VfR Wormatia Worms | Düsseldorf |
| Kapteina 53', 68' Machniki 83' |
Müller 57' Sehrt 85' |
Stadium: Rheinstadion Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Ternieden (Oberhausen) |
Second qualifying round
| 8 May 1955 | VfR Wormatia Worms | 2 – 1 | SSV Reutlingen 05 | Koblenz |
| Weiß 38' Schroer 60' |
Grziwok 62' |
Stadium: Stadion Oberwerth Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Treichel (Berlin) |
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification | FCK | HSV | SOD | V89 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 2.500 | 9 | Advance to final | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 10–0 | |
| 2 | Hamburger SV | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 1.600 | 8 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | SV Sodingen | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 1.444 | 7 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 5–1 | ||
| 4 | Viktoria Berlin | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 0.174 | 0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | — |
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal ratio.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal ratio.
| 15 May 1955 | Hamburger SV | 1 – 0 | SV Sodingen |
| 15 May 1955 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 1 – 2 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
| 19 May 1955 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2 – 2 | Hamburger SV |
| 19 May 1955 | SV Sodingen | 5 – 1 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | Gelsenkirchen |
| Adamik 21' Harpers 53' Wächter 65', 82' Wenker 80' |
Nocht 70' |
Stadium: Glückauf-Kampfbahn Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Asmussen (Flensburg) |
| 22 May 1955 | SV Sodingen | 2 – 2 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
| 22 May 1955 | Hamburger SV | 1 – 0 | Viktoria 89 Berlin |
| 30 May 1955 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2 – 2 | SV Sodingen |
| 30 May 1955 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 0 – 2 | Hamburger SV |
| 5 June 1955 | Hamburger SV | 1 – 2 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
| 5 June 1955 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 2 – 3 | SV Sodingen |
| 11 June 1955 | SV Sodingen | 1 – 1 | Hamburger SV |
| 11 June 1955 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 10 – 0 | Viktoria 89 Berlin |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification | RWE | B93 | KOF | W08 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 3.200 | 10 | Advance to final | — | 4–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Bremerhaven 93 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0.500 | 6 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Kickers Offenbach | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 0.917 | 4 | 1–3 | 4–0 | — | 5–2 | ||
| 4 | Wormatia Worms | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 0.545 | 4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — |
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal ratio.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal ratio.
| 15 May 1955 | VfR Wormatia Worms | 1 – 0 | Kickers Offenbach |
| 15 May 1955 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 4 – 0 | Bremerhaven 93 |
| 19 May 1955 | Kickers Offenbach | 1 – 3 | Rot-Weiss Essen |
| 19 May 1955 | Bremerhaven 93 | 1 – 0 | VfR Wormatia Worms |
| 22 May 1955 | Bremerhaven 93 | 2 – 0 | Kickers Offenbach |
| 22 May 1955 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 1 – 1 | VfR Wormatia Worms |
| 30 May 1955 | Kickers Offenbach | 4 – 0 | Bremerhaven 93 |
| 30 May 1955 | VfR Wormatia Worms | 1 – 3 | Rot-Weiss Essen |
| 5 June 1955 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 4 – 1 | Kickers Offenbach |
| 5 June 1955 | VfR Wormatia Worms | 1 – 1 | Bremerhaven 93 |
| 11 June 1955 | Bremerhaven 93 | 1 – 1 | Rot-Weiss Essen |
| 11 June 1955 | Kickers Offenbach | 5 – 2 | VfR Wormatia Worms |
Final
| Rot-Weiss Essen | 4 – 3 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
|---|---|---|
| Islacker 18', 43', 85' Röhrig 27' |
Wenzel 11', 56' Baßler 72' |
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Sources
- 1954-55 at Weltfussball.de
- Germany - Championship 1955 at RSSSF.com
- German championship 1955 at Fussballdaten.de