A fantastic second run helped Finn Tanja Poutiainen beat the Austrian favourites and claim her first World Cup slalom victory for three years in Zagreb.

Third after the first leg behind the Austrian pair of Marlies Schild and Nicole Hosp, Poutiainen produced a near-perfect second run to secure her first win of the season in a total time one minute and 52.83 seconds.

Schild, winner of four slaloms this season, had to be content with second place, 0.52 seconds behind, while Slovak Veronika Zuzulova was third, 0.68 off the pace.

It was Poutiainen's seventh World Cup victory and her first in a slalom since winning on the same slope in 2005.

"I had to fight so hard to win again in a slalom that it's probably one of my sweetest victories, especially here and in front of the favourite," the 27-year-old said.

"I told myself I had nothing to lose in the second run and I gave it my all."

It was a bad day for Hosp, whose blunder at the start of the second run put paid to her chances of pulling away from rival Lindsey Vonn in the overall World Cup standings.

Hosp, winner of two slaloms this season, and American Vonn remain tied at the top of the World Cup standings on 983 points.

Speed specialist Vonn skipped the Zagreb race to prepare for next week's downhill in Whistler Mountain, Canada.

Fourth after the first leg, Swede Anja Paerson showed she had not completely lost her slalom skills but the Olympic champion faltered in the evening and finished 10th overall.

Reuters