Dublin 2-10 Donegal 0-11
Fourteen-man Dublin saw off Donegal's challenge with a battling win at Croke Park tonight in their Allianz Football League Division 1 clash, despite Kevin McManamon's second-half sending off.
It wasn't exactly revenge for last summer's Championship coup but an league win at home will rarely have tasted so sweet all the same for Dublin.
Substitute Jack McCaffrey's late goal and a point ultimately secured the Dubs' first win of the campaign in front of a crowd of 22,968.
It was the teams' first meeting since Donegal famously beat Dublin in last year's All-Ireland semi-final, dethroning the holders.
Jim Gavin will be happy that his team secured the rematch win despite losing Kevin McManamon to a 45th minute red card.
The corner-forward picked up a second yellow card so the St Judes man will be ineligible for Dublin’s next game.
Gavin will also be happy with the contribution of rookie centre-back John Small who was named Man of the Match in what has been a troublesome position.
Cormac Costello's early goal and the placed ball kicking of Dean Rock meant Dublin were always just about ahead.
But it wasn't until McCaffrey's late cameo that they set the seal on a much needed win heading into the three-week break in games.
Donegal initially picked up early on from where they left off last August with the match's first two points.
Michael Murphy was on the mark inside a minute and doubled Donegal's advantage with a second-minute free.
The game exploded into life in the fifth minute when Dublin opened their own account with Costello's goal.
McManamon began the move with a kick-pass to Eric Lowndes who hand-passed over Donegal's full-back line to an onrushing Costello.
The young corner-forward took the ball beyond Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan before slotting home left-footed to the net.
It was a double setback for Donegal because Durcan took a heavy hit from his own player, Karl Lacey, during the move and had to be taken off and replaced by Michael Boyle between the posts.
Three Dublin points in a row from the lively Davy Byrne, midfielder Emmet O Conghaile and Eoghan O'Gara put some daylight between at 1-03 to 0-03.
But Paddy McBrearty was a potent outlet for Donegal in attack and he shot three points before the break to reduce their arrears.
Dublin took a slender lead into the interval at 1-05 to 0-07. The tie lacked the excitement and dramatic scores of the Championship encounter last summer, at least until the final quarter.
Dublin didn't score from open play for a full half hour and relied on Rock's frees. His placed ball conversions kept them in a narrow lead for most of the second-half.
That was despite going a man down in the 45th minute when McManamon picked up his second booking for a high challenge on Mark McHugh.
Victory was ultimately secured when McCaffrey, who'd already scored a point, took off on a rampaging solo run in the 63rd minute and buried the ball in the net.
Dublin: S Currie; E Culligan, M Fitzsimons, D Daly; J Cooper, J Small, E Lowndes; D Bastick, E O Conghaile (0-01); T Brady, D Rock (0-05, 0-4f, 0-145), Davy Byrne (0-01); K McManamon, E O'Gara (0-01), C Costello (1-00).
Subs: David Byrne for Culligan, C Kilkenny (0-01) for Brady, J McCaffrey (1-01) for Lowndes, P McMahon for Cooper, B Brogan for Costello, Ciaran Reddin for Davy Byrne.
Donegal: P Durcan; F McGlynn, E McGee, P McGrath; K Lacey, E Doherty, M McHugh; N Gallagher, O MacNiallais; R McHugh, M O'Reilly, C Toye (0-02); P McBrearty (0-04, 0-1f), M Murphy (0-04, 0-2f), H McFadden.
Subs: M Boyle for Durcan, N McGee for McGrath, M McElhinney for O'Reilly, C McFadden (0-01) for H McFadden, D O'Connor for Doherty, D McLoughlin for Murphy (b/c).
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
