Ivry moved further clear at the top of the ProLeague table with a 41-32 win against Valence on Wednesday evening. The visitors took all three points from the encounter, leaving the hosts in seventh place with just two points from three matches. To be fair, the result was not entirely unexpected given the form both sides had shown recently.
Valence had come into the game unbeaten themselves, having drawn twice and won once, but their recent results included narrow defeats to Ponto-Combo in both May fixtures. Ivry, meanwhile, were on a three-match winning streak before this encounter, though their previous outing had been a tighter affair against Sarbun at 33-26.
Our prediction had called for the away side to prevail, with 71 per cent confidence attached to that call. It proved a reasonable assessment — Ivry showed the consistency of a team already three wins from three, while Valence's draws suggested they could be vulnerable against a side moving with purpose.
The final scoreline tells a straightforward story. Ivry kept their early momentum going, and Valence, despite their unbeaten record, could not find a way back into the contest once the visitors established control. The goal difference of nine now sits between the two sides.
Ivry sit alone at the summit with six points, a full two ahead of their nearest challengers. Valence remain seventh, and with one more game played by the leaders, the gap has the potential to widen further by the end of the round.
