Kostelic wins Wengen super-combined

Winner Ivica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates after the men's Alpine skiing World Cup super combined race at the Lauberhorn in Wengen January 13, 2012.

WENGEN, Switzerland (Reuters) - Croatia's Ivica Kostelic won the Wengen super-combined for the second year in a row Friday to turn up the heat on World Cup overall leader Marcel Hirscher.

While Austrian Hirscher saved his strength for Monday's slalom, Kostelic made sure of his third victory of the Alpine skiing season in two minutes, 42.16 seconds.

It was the World Cup champion's fifth career win in Wengen, his second in the super-combined and left him 130 points behind Hirscher.

Only 23rd after the morning downhill section, Kostelic dominated the afternoon slalom leg to keep the speed specialists at bay.

Early season sensation Beat Feuz was second on home snow, 0.20 seconds adrift, after being fastest in the downhill.

American Bode Miller, the discipline's Olympic champion, clocked the second best downhill time and overcame his customary inconsistence in slaloms to keep his place on the podium, in third and 0.45 off the pace.

"It is a very important win for many reasons. First of all because it was so unexpected after the downhill. I really struggled in the morning," said Kostelic. "I could not find my way.

"And the slalom was so easy that everybody could get away with it.

"These are 100 important points. Not only for the World Cup race but also because they were so unexpected. They give me lots of confidence for the rest of the week," added the winner.

Miller will be one of the favorites for Saturday's classic Lauberhorn downhill, but the American was furious after Friday's finish.

"I'm fed up...I do the same mistakes in slalom. I cannot afford to waste chances like this. I'm third, but I should have done better," he said.