Johannesburg - Football fans are right if they feel that goals have been in short supply at the current World Cup. At 2.24 goals per match so far, the average is the second-lowest ever after the 1990World Cup in Italy, which saw an average of 2.21 goals.

If fewer than three goals in total are scored in Saturday's playoff for third place and Sunday's final, the 2010 World Cup in South Africawill go down in history as the one with the fewest goals scored per match.

A table of World Cup goals follows:

Goals, Average, Matches

1930 Uruguay   70  3.89  18
1934 Italy   70  4.12  17
1938 France  84  4.67  18
1950 Brazil88  4.00  22
1954 Switzerland140  5.38  26
1958 Sweden 126  3.60  35
1962 Chile 89  2.78  32
1966 England   89  2.78  32
1970 Mexico95  2.97  32
1974 Germany 97  2.55  38
1978 Argentina102  2.68  38
1982 Spain  146  2.81  52
1986 Mexico   132  2.54  52
1990 Italy  115  2.21  52
1994 USA  141  2.71  52
1998 France 171  2.67  64
2002 S. Korea/Japan 161  2.52  64
2006 Germany147  2.30  64
2010 South Africa   139  2.24  62 of