Viadana saw off Lions 26-17 in the Italian Cup on Friday evening. The result came as no great shock to those watching the form lines. By then, you could see where this was heading.
Viadana's visitors had been finding their rhythm of late. A 62-35 victory over Biella the previous week showed what they're capable of when things click. Lions, meanwhile, were struggling to find answers against stronger opposition.
And here's the thing — we'd called this one. Away win, 71 per cent confidence. The numbers didn't lie, even if the scoreline was tighter than expected. To be fair, twenty points didn't tell the whole story of the second half.
Lions had shown flashes of fight in their previous outing. A 32-48 defeat to Fiamme Oro suggested they could compete, just not close enough to win. Against Viadana's attack, those margins simply weren't enough.
The visitors' recent record tells you everything. Three wins from five, including that emphatic display against Biella. Lions managed just one victory in the same period, and that was against weaker opposition.
What this means going forward is clear enough. Viadana move closer to the upper reaches, while Lions are running out of games to salvage their campaign. The gap is widening, not narrowing.
