Olimpia Milano beat Venezia 94-87 in the Italian Super Cup on Saturday evening. The visitors took the trophy from the hosts in a contest that proved tighter than the margin suggests. Venezia remain top of their domestic table after four straight victories, but this result carried different weight.
The home side had started the day unbeaten in league action, but Olimpia Milano's win on Saturday ended that run of dominance in this fixture. Looking at their recent meetings, Venezia had only one victory over the Milan side in five encounters — a 109-97 win back in June. The rest went to Olimpia Milano, including that 86-72 victory in the last round of league games.
We had called for the away side earlier, giving them 60 per cent confidence. The result vindicated that assessment. Olimpia Milano had looked sharp in their 80-71 win over Virtus Bologna on Friday, while Venezia's 98-90 victory over Tortona the same evening showed they could score freely. Both sides arrived with momentum, but the visitors seized the moment.
What stood out was how Olimpia Milano controlled the pace. Venezia pushed early and kept the score close through the opening quarter, but the visitors found their rhythm and pulled away when it mattered. The home side never really recovered from that shift in tempo.
The standings table shows Venezia in first place with four wins and no losses, though the points column reads zero — the season has barely begun and the table tells little of substance. Olimpia Milano's victory moves them into contention for silverware and adds pressure on the home side as the league campaign proper gets underway.
