Hannover crashed out of the DFB Pokal as they fell 2-0 to second division Aalen in the Scholz-Arena on Tuesday evening.
Goals in either half - an own goal from midfielder Ceyhun Gulselam and a Michael Klauß goal –condemned Die Roten to defeat in a competition they last won in 1992.
It started positively for Korkut’s men, with Bittencourt finding himself costless in the area after just six minutes, only to waste the chance. Joselu then shot straight at Bernhardt from close range, before Ballas then failed to test him from a Kiyotake corner.
The 2.Bundesliga were happy to sit back and absorb early pressure, and they got their rewards after 24 minutes, when Turkish midfielder Gulselam deflected the ball into his own net past Zieler, giving the home side a priceless opening goal.
After defeating Borussia Dortmund away at the weekend, hopes were high that Korkut’s men would advance at this stage, though Aalen reacted well after going ahead and forced the visitors to try their luck from range.
Ludwig then went close to extending the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Zieler was able to palm his ferocious strike away and keep the one goal deficit.
The second half started in much the same vein, and Korkut had no issues with changing things 10 minutes in, with Prib and Sobiech entering the fray to try and change the course of the match. They had barely stepped foot on the pitch though before Klauß placed home a cute pass from Drexler to double the lead, and put them in pole position to record an unforgettable victory.
Prib and Kiyotake then both went close to getting their side back into the tie, but Bernhardt was on top-form. Ernst came on for Briand in the last throw of the dice for Hannover, while Aalen made changes to cement their victory, holding out superbly against the attacking threat.
The stats showed 13 shots to four in favour of the visitors, but neat finishing and a bit of luck meant the side second bottom of the 2.Bundesliga were the ones celebrating come the final whistle, as they booked themselves a place in the next round and a step closer to the final.
Hannover will now turn their attentions to the league, as they host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, whilst Aalen travel to Hannover’s rival Braunschweig as they look to lift themselves out of the bottom three.