The history of Arminia Bielefeld
Milestones and background from the club's history, in chronological order.
More milestones and background for each event.
Categories
Competitions
Nicknames through the years Three names tell a story of near misses, late goals and an unbeaten season. Read the storiesClose the stories
Bundesliga, scandal and dramatic swings
Three matches, no promotion
Arminia Bielefeld4:0
TSV 1860 MünchenMatch 1 · May 29, 1977 · Location: Bielefeld Stadium: Bielefelder AlmTSV 1860 München4:0Arminia BielefeldMatch 2 · June 4, 1977 · Location: Munich Stadium: Olympiastadion MünchenAfter winning 4–0 at the Alm, Arminia lost the return leg at 1860 Munich by the same score.
Munich then won the required deciding match in Frankfurt 2–0. A seemingly attainable Bundesliga promotion slipped away.
Four goals away to Bayern
Arminia beat Bayern 4–0 at Munich’s Olympiastadion.
Norbert Eilenfeldt scored twice, with Volker Graul and Helmut Schröder adding the other goals. The away victory remained a highlight of a season that nevertheless ended in relegation.
11–0: a second-division record
An 11–0 victory over Arminia Hannover at the Alm set the second division’s record winning margin.
The DFL still lists it as the competition’s biggest victory. Bielefeld finished the season with 120 goals scored.
Returns and setbacks
The shock against Darmstadt
Darmstadt 981:3
Arminia BielefeldFirst leg · May 16, 2014 · Location: Darmstadt Stadium: Stadion am BöllenfalltorArminia Bielefeld2:4a.e.t.Darmstadt 98Second leg · May 19, 2014 · Location: Bielefeld Stadium: SchücoArenaThe 3–1 away win in the first leg was not enough: Arminia lost the return match 2–4 after extra time.
Darmstadt’s late goal settled the tie at 5–5 on aggregate under the away-goals rule, which then also applied in extra time.
Cup surprises and new beginnings
Schwolow saves the semi-final dream
Arminia Bielefeld1:1a.e.t. · 5:4 on pens
Borussia MönchengladbachLocation: Bielefeld Stadium: SchücoArenaAfter 120 minutes ended 1–1, the third-division side beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 5–4 on penalties.
Alexander Schwolow saved the final attempt to send Arminia into the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.
Six goals against a promotion contender
Fighting relegation, Arminia stunned promotion contenders Eintracht Braunschweig with a 6–0 win.
Carsten Rump’s emotional dressing-room address and the performance that followed became symbols of Bielefeld’s resilience. Survival was not yet mathematically secured.
The road to Berlin and a hundred years of the Alm
Bremen is beaten at the Alm
A 2–1 win over SV Werder Bremen sent Arminia into another DFB-Pokal semi-final.
The third-division side had already eliminated Union Berlin and Freiburg.
A first DFB-Pokal final
Arminia came from behind to beat holders Bayer Leverkusen 2–1.
Goals from Marius Wörl and Maximilian Großer secured the club’s first appearance in the DFB-Pokal final.
