The club suffered from financial problems in the late 1970s and again in the early 1990s. Then, in 1992, Hannover put together an impressive run that would lead them to the capture of their first DFB-Pokal and help to set their finances right. That run included victories over Bundesliga sides Borussia Dortmund, VfL Bochum, Karlsruher SC, Werder Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, as they became the first lower division side to win the competition. Hero for the cupwinners was goalkeeper Jörg Sievers, who made two saves when the semi-final match went to penalties and then scored the winner in his own turn at the spot. In the cup final, he again made two saves when that match was also decided on penalties. The team's low point came with demotion to Regionalliga Nord (III) for two years in 1996–98: the fact that the fall from the second league came during their anniversary year unfortunately made them a laughingstock among fans of rival teams for years to come.