( dpa )- Manfred Moelgg of Italy triumphed in the men's slalom in Kranjska Gora Sunday for his first alpine ski World Cup victory.
Moelgg , who led from the first run, posted a combined time of 1 minute 42.29 seconds over the two legs, to beat Ivica Kostelic of Croatia by 0.41 seconds and Marcel Hirscher of Austria by 0.49.
The victory sets up an exciting climax in the battle for the slalom World Cup crown in the last race of the season next Saturday in Bormio , Italy.
Jean- Baptiste Grange of France, who finished fourth, continues to lead the standings on 512 points, with Moelgg now second on 491 and Austria's Mario Matt - who finished 12th - on 427.
The overall standings remained unchanged, with Bode Miller of the United States leading on 1,387, ahead of Didier Cuche of Switzerland on 1,218 and Benjamin Raich of Austria on 1,123.
Neither Miller nor Cuche started while Raich failed to finish the first run.