Earlier on the HS98 hill, Katharina Gruber (AUT, above), who became the youngest winner of a Nordic Combined World Cup event in Trondheim earlier this season, showed her class.
The 17-year-old went close to the hill record with a superb jump of 103.0-meters, the best by six meters, to earn 132.8 points.
But with team-mate Clara Mentil only managing 78.5m (85.2 points), Austria found themselves 50 seconds behind in third starting the cross-country, the same deficit as French duo Marion Droz Vincent and Romane Baud, with Italians Giada Delugan and Ludovica Del Bianco a further nine seconds back.
But the Italian pair swiftly caught and passed Austria and France to forge nearly 30 seconds clear by halfway in the fight for the final medal, and ultimately finished 23 seconds ahead of Gruber and Mentil, with the French duo edging Finland in a sprint finish for fifth.
“The jumping was so good today,” said Delugan. “On the skis it was not my best performance but I am still really happy.”
“The plan was just to go full gas and it was a pleasure to race with my friend Giada,” added Del Bianco.