Soccer Columnist Steve Davis

01:59 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 4, 2006

DORTMUND, Germany – Everybody loves goals and offense. Managers and players often talk a big game about attacking, employing the lexicon of the offensively inclined: "getting numbers forward" and "making them worry about our players."

But they all eventually capitulate to the inescapable truth: Teams win by buttoning up the back first. As matters get tight, even if it's done unintentionally, offense becomes more "afterthought" than "order of the day."

The 2006 World Cup is more evidence. The games are slogging along at a 2.30 goals per match. Barring something highly unusual in the remaining matches, history will record this as the most anemic World Cup in scoring since the humdrum Italia '90 slugfest.

Teams managed just 2.21 goals per game there. Matches hovered somewhere north of 2.5 goals per in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Germany and Italy, opponents in today's World Cup semifinal, have tried to attack. In fact, the month-long tournament's initial goal was scored by German left back Philipp Lahm. In that 4-2 win over Costa Rica, defensive midfielder Torsten Frings netted Germany's final goal.

A bright beginning, eh?

The Azzurri, of course, are architects of modern defenses. And yet manager Marcello Lippi has made an effort to mix in enough attack-minded players and not tether the rest to restrictive defensive postures.

In fact, the Italians helped themselves survive the quarterfinals by, after taking an early lead over Ukraine, not relenting to the old Italian temptation to dig deeper into a defensive foxhole. They didn't attack recklessly, of course, but didn't sit back and bitterly protect the one-goal margin as they did (ultimately unsuccessfully) four years ago against South Korea.

Defender Gianluca Zambrotta provided the opening strike, then got forward to assist on the third goal. So, all credit to Italy for making the effort.

But make no mistake: Defense played a major role, too. And it will again in the Ruhr region's largest city today.

The Italian defense, organized so expertly by center back Fabio Cannavaro, has broken just once in five matches. And that was an own-goal that sliced off Cristian Zaccardo's foot against the Americans.

Italy can always supply a pricey selection of world-class defenders to the World Cup. It has something extra at this one: a goalkeeper on his game in Gianluigi Buffon.

"Gigi" contributed two huge saves after intermission against Ukraine. And for the one close-range effort that appeared to be getting past Buffon, Zambrotta was in the right spot to knock it away.

It may have been one of the best nights for a defender at the tournament. Not only did Zambrotta create a goal and score another, he cleared one from his own line.

And he did it all while sitting on a yellow card from a previous match. Fellow back-liner Fabio Grosso had also collected a yellow card in the round-of-16 match but avoided collecting the killer second, which would have eliminated him from today's match.

Clearly, the Italian defenders can get it done fairly when they have to.

Germany's defenders don't look as comfortable with the ball as the Italians. But that's to be expected, given their youth.

Lahm is 22. Other starters are similarly young: Per Mertesacker is 21; Christoph Metzelder is 25.

The lack of sophistication sometimes shows. Whereas Italian defenders will control and distribute, the Germans will often clear safely and hope a midfielder can gain possession.

Still, in the end, die Mannschaft ("the team," as it's known here) gets the job done on defense.

Argentina struggled to create any good opportunities in the tightly contested quarterfinal in Munich, making every German player quite proud.

E-mail stevedavis@dallasnews.com

2 p.m., Dortmund, ESPN, Ch. 23

Nickname: Die Mannschaft (The Team)

In their corner: In 72 years, the Germans have never lost a match in Dortmund (13-0-1). If it goes into penalties, the Germans are 4-for-4 in their World Cup history.

Man of the moment: Miroslav Klose has five goals. He also had five in World Cup 2002.

Justifiable concern: Torsten Frings has been outstanding. But Germany's first-choice defensive midfielder will serve a one-game suspension for his part in the "Argy-bargy," the fracas after the quarterfinal against Argentina.

Nickname: Gli Azzurri (The Blues)

In their corner: The Italians battered Germany, 4-1, in a friendly last March in Florence.

Man of the moment: Gennaro Gattuso was scurrying all over the place against Ukraine. If he can harass Michael Ballack enough through the midfield, the German offense could stall.

Justifiable concern: Italian TV caught Frings' little jab and, rightly or wrongly, some Germans blame the Italians for his subsequent suspension. That will only rile passionate German supporters in Dortmund.