Aleksandr Filimonov

Football player infobox| playername= Aleksandr Filimonov


fullname = Александр Владимирович Филимонов
nickname =
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1973|10|15|df=y
cityofbirth = Chişinău
countryofbirth = USSR
height = 193 cm
currentclub = FC Kuban
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears = ? –1990
youthclubs = Burevestnik Yoshkar-Ola
years = 1990
1991
1992–1993
1994-1995
1996–2001
2001
2002-2003
2004-2006
2007-2008
2008-
clubs = Stal Cheboksary
Druzhba Yoshkar-Ola
Fakel Voronezh
Textilschik Kamyshin
Spartak Moscow
Dynamo Kyiv
Uralan Elista
FC Moscow
Nea Salamis FC
FC Kuban Krasnodar
caps(goals) = 2 (0)
38 (1)
67 (0)
53 (0)
147 (0)
4 (0)
39 (0)
23 (0)
12 (0)
nationalyears = 1998–2002
nationalteam = Russia
nationalcaps(goals) = 16 (0)
pcupdate = 30 December 2005
ntupdate = 30 December 2005

Aleksandr Filimonov (born 15 October 1973 in Chişinău) is a Russian football goalkeeper who currently plays for the FC Kuban Krasnodar. He is best know for playing for Spartak Moscow and the Russia national football team, and accidental goal he conceded in Euro 2000 qualifying playoffs from Andriy Shevchenko.

Early years

Born in Chişinău, Filimonov spent all his early years in another locations of USSR. His father was a football coach so Aleksandr was addicted to football since he was a child. The only choice he was intended to made was a position on the field. He chose to be a goalkeeper.

After finishing Burevestnik football academy in Yoshkar-Ola, at 1990 summer he moved to his first adult football team. It was Stal Cheboksary from USSR Third Division. Filimonov was only seventeen so he found himself unable to made more than two appearances during the season. As winter begin, he returned to Yoshkar-Ola and join local team Druzhba Yoshkar-Ola to take part in 1991 USSR Third Division tournament. That year, Filimonov was definitely the main goalkeeper for his new team, begin included into starting eleven thirty eight times and even scoring one goal (the only goal in his adult career).

Promising keeper

As the 1991 season neared its end, the same thing happened with the seventy-year history of the USSR. At the beginning of 1992 Filimonov joined Fakel Voronezh which unexpectedly become Russian Premier League participant right after USSR First Division mid-table obscurity. Same with the season 1991, Filimonov instantly become non-arguable first team player in Fakel and one of their best playing squad. Despite of his good goalkeeping Fakel was relegated anyway. Filimonov spent another season with Fakel in Russian First League. Then he moved to Premiere League top-half team Textilschik Kamyshin, after having twenty clean sheets during thirty seven games in 1993 and seventy one appearances for Fakel during two years.

As with previous clubs, Filimonov found no difficulty in becoming number one on the team. In 1994 Filimonov took his first European cup game in UEFA Cup with Textilschik, and he performed well against FC Nantes and Bekescsaba. During two Textilschik seasons Filimonov became one of the most promising Russian keepers. At Jun 6 1995 he debuted for Russian U23 national team vs. San Marino and made three U23 caps during 1995 fall.

Spartak

In 1996 several things happened at the same time to give Filimonov a chance to test himself at the best level Russian football in 90's had. His contract with Textilschik came to an end, and team from Kamyshin couldn't give an extension due to unclear financial situation. At the same time, Spartak Moscow was looking for a new keeper after their experienced goalie Stanislav Cherchesov left Russian Premier League for FC Wacker Innsbruck. Spartak had already Ruslan Nigmatullin signed but looked for another keeper to increase team depth.

At the beginning of the season 1996 Filimonov found that he had only bench place as he wasn't signed for UEFA Champions League so Nigmatullin is current team keeper. But during the season Filimonov become first team keeper again (as it was with Druzhba, Fakel and Textilschik). The main reason for Georgi Yartsev to replace Nigmatullin with Filimonov was difference in their consistency. While Nigmatullin couldn't show all of his best every game during the season, that was no problem for Filimonov to do.

Since then, Filimonov was a permanent first XI player in Spartak until the summer of 2001. He won 6 Russian Premier League titles with Spartak, took part in numerous Champions League games and finally become a Russia national football team player.

International career

Filimonov gained his first cap for Russia on March 25, 1998 in a friendly match with France. Playing 4 friendly games in 1998, he was not considered the main national keeper while Boris Ignatyev and Anatoly Byshovets managed the team. Things had changed when his club manager Oleg Romantsev from Spartak Moscow came to the national team. Filimonov was the keeper of the Russian squad during the Euro 2000 qualifying round, where the team had an impressive series, including a 3-2 victory against France at Stade de France on June 5, 1999.

The key moment and turning point of Filimonov's whole career was the game against Ukraine on October 9, 1999. 3 points gained in this game would have made Russia qualify for the Euro 2000. This fact, mixed with a post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine rivalry, made this clash into the Match Of Year. That was the only time during last 15 years that Luzhniki Stadium was at its full capacity. Even people who never knew what football is watched the game on TV. The only thing they needed was the win over Ukraine.

During the game the Russian team dominated on the field, but several moments were wasted. It was the 75th minute already when Russia scored at last with Valery Karpin's free kick. If score had remained that way until the end of the game, Russia would have qualified for Euro 2000, leaving Ukraine behind.

On 88th minute Ukraine achieved a free kick possibility far from the goal at the left edge of the field. Andriy Shevchenko stepped to the ball and drifts to the penalty area. As Shevchenko definitely did not mean to place a shot on the goal, it went right at the hands of Filimonov because of poor crossing. Unfortunately for Filimonov, he wasn't ready to take this shot and the Ukrainian team found themselves scoring an accidental goal after a moment of confusion.

Not surprisingly, Filimonov became a common Russian anti-hero at the moment. Despite of all the encouragement his team-mates, coaches and other football-related staff tried to give him, Filimonov seems not to be the goalie he was before that game.

Aleksandr achieved another 4 caps for Russia after 1999 but only in friendlies. He never was the Russian team keeper in any official game anymore.

He was the sub keeper of the Russian team for the World Cup 2002 but didn't made an appearance while his old Spartak Moscow team placed fellow Ruslan Nigmatullin (moved to Lokomotiv Moscow and then to Hellas Verona after Spartak) was selected to play for all 3 mathces.

After the Shevchenko goal

Filimonov remained Spartak's keeper until August 2001. He was a part of the team that had beaten Arsenal 4 goals to 1 and qualified for the Champions League second round in 2000 but it was obvious that his best days were over. He couldn't overcome the consequences of the goal he conceded in 1999, so it was no surprise when Maksym Levytsky was able to gain his place in Spartak.

During the summer of 2001 there were different rumours about Filimonov moving from Spartak but the actual transfer become even more exciting than any fiction writer could imagine. Filimonov was transferred out to Dynamo Kiev while they lost Oleksandr Shovkovsky to a serious injury.

So Filimonov took a chance to prove to everyone (or maybe to himself) that he was still the man he was in 1999. Unfortunately, he lost it. His level of playing for Dynamo Kiev was found unsatisfiable, and at the end of 2001 he became a substitute, losing his place on the field to Vitali Reva. Immediately after the contract ended, he moved to Uralan Elista.

After spending two seasons with Uralan, Aleksandr returned to Moscow. He was signed by FC Moscow and defended their goal during the first half of the 2004 season. However, in 2005 Filimonov became only the third Moskva's goalkeeper to achieve no appearance during a season.

In January 2007 Filimonov joined Cyprus side Nea Salamina.

Honours

*1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Russian Premier League
*1998 Russian Cup

External links

* [http://www.klisf.info/numeric/indexm.html Filimonov complete playing history "(Russian)"]
* [http://www.rusteam.permian.ru/players/filimonov.html National team statistics]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dq30TiTdnQ&mode=related&search= The goal Filimonov conceded against Ukraine in 1999]