Oh, what a bummer (( 4-1 (( Those Spaniards...

Nothing bad happened; in fact, it's even good that we lost like that. I'll explain why.

1. At the 2006 World Cup, the Spaniards completely crushed Ukraine 4-0 in their very first match, utterly dismantling their defense. And what was the result? The Spaniards were quickly eliminated from the tournament and watched from the stands as fans the quarter-final match between Italy and Ukraine. Given the psychological instability of the Spaniards and the unpredictability of our team, a repeat is quite possible.

2. The factor of public opinion. Imagine if Hiddink had fielded a defense consisting of Ignashevich and the Berezutsky brothers in every match, with all their blunders and inconsistencies. He would have been overwhelmed by criticism, with people saying that there are great players like Shirokov and Kolodin, but they weren't given a chance. Now everyone has seen that there is no alternative to these so-called army defenders. Yes, there will be mistakes, but it won't be such an easy game for the opponents in any case. Shirokov is a talented player, but he only really started playing well in his first season; we shouldn't break him, but gradually bring him into the starting lineup.

3. The Swedes and especially the Greeks are among the weakest teams at the European Championship. Anyone who watched the match between Sweden and Greece heard the deafening disapproving whistles from the stands during their game. They really played poorly. Our players are not exactly top-notch either, but the chances are good. We'll wait for Saturday and see what happens.