You don't have to overdo the goalscoring - only ripple the net as often as you need to. No country knows that better than Ireland, who managed to reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup, scoring just two goals along the way.
Well, Monaco topped their Champions League group last night amassing a grand total of four goals in six games. Their results were: a 1-0 win over Leverkusen, a 0-0 draw away to Zenit, another 0-0 draw at home to Benfica (it's crucial if you intend to economise of the goal front, that you draw 0-0 wherever possible), a 1-0 defeat away to Benfica, a 1-0 win away to Leverkusen.
And then last night, they cut loose and won 2-0 at home to Zenit. They could have topped this group having scored just three goals. And this wouldn't be the first time that happened.
In 2005/06, Villareal topped a Champions League group, by two whole points, having scored three goals. Two wins and four draws gave them a grand total of 10 points - and they even participated in a pointless 1-1 draw. They could have managed just two goals and topped the group.
The bottom placed team in that group, incidentally, was Manchester United - the first time Fergie's team failed to reach the knockout stage since 1995. Villareal played out two scoreless draws with United that season.
