Donegal 0-21 Cork 1-15
Paddy McBrearty drove Donegal to an All-Ireland SFC quarter-final showdown with Dublin as he inspired his side to a 0-21 to 1-15 qualifier win over Cork at Croke Park.
Paul Kerrigan smashed home a 17th-minute goal, but seven McBrearty points had Donegal in front, before Donncha O’Connor nudged Cork into a 1-9 to 0-11 interval lead.
The Ulster men finished strongly however, with scores from Eoin McHugh, Michael Murphy, Ryan McHugh and an 11th from McBrearty set up a date with Dublin.
Cork raced ahead with scores from defenders Tom Clancy and Kevin O’Driscoll, and garnered plenty of possession around midfield through Alan O’Connor and the rangy Ian Maguire.
But Ryan McHugh possesses the vision and the nous to unlock even the tightest of defences, and his incisive pass gave Paddy McBrearty the simplest of opportunities to tap over his second point to level the game on five minutes.
Cork were forced to go long with their kick-outs, but O’Connor’s ball-winning ability turned that into a positive, fielding and sending Donncha O’Connor through to hit the target.
Donegal’s famed defensive strategy suffered systems failure on a couple of occasions as their opponents sliced through the middle, with Paul Kerrigan making it 0-5 to 0-3 on 13 minutes.
Martin McElhinney lost concentration at the crucial moment when presented with a goal chance, but no such problem for Paul Kerrigan at the other end, as he rifled a shot to the top corner of the net from Tomas Clancy’s return pass.
The response from the beaten Ulster finalists was emphatic. They scored seven of the next eight points, with McBrearty producing a master-class of finishing.
Seven first half points, five of them from play, from the Kilcar man rewarded his side’s spirit of adventure as they threw off the shackles and followed their attacking instincts.
Michael Murphy, operating in the inside line, Ryan McHugh and Karl Lacey also added scores as they went in front for the first time in the 32nd minute
But they were increasingly vulnerable at the back and Cork were denied a goal by Neil McGee’s superb block on Maguire, before Donncha O’Connor edged the Rebels back in front in stoppage time, 1-9 to 0-11.
McBrearty and McHugh swapped scores with Mark Collins and Colm O’Driscoll as both sides continued to offer up opportunities to their opponents.
While the defending may have been suspect, some of the finishing was right out of the top drawer with substitute Aidan Walsh sending over a spectacular effort from wide on the right, followed by a delightful sliced point off the right boot of Odhran MacNiallais.
As the game entered its final quarter, having been level on five occasions since the turnaround, tensions increased with the prospect of championship elimination becoming ever more vivid.
McBrearty reacted to the demands of a desperate situation with his tenth score, and MacNiallais won the free that Murphy converted for a two-point advantage.
And it was that man McBrearty who flashed over two more, before being sent off on a black card.
Donegal: MA Mc Ginley, P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee, R McHugh (0-03), K Lacey (0-01), F McGlynn (0-01), R Kavanagh, M McElhinney, A Thompson, O MacNiallais (0-01), E McHugh (0-02), P McBrearty (0-11, 4f), M Murphy (0-02, 1f)), M O’Reilly.
Subs: C Gillespie for E McGee (43), L McLoone for Kavanagh (45), C Toye for Thompson (55), M McHugh for McGlynn (60), E Doherty for N McGee (68), H McFadden for McElhinney
Cork: R Price, C O’Driscoll (0-02), E Cadogan, S Cronin, Tomas Clancy (0-01), Tom Clancy (0-02), K O’Driscoll (0-02), A O’Connor, I Maguire, P Kerrigan (1-01), S Powter (0-01), M Collins (0-01), D O’Connor (0-02), P Kelleher, M Hurley.
Subs: A Walsh (0-01) for A O’Connor (35), P Kelly for Kelleher (41), C O’Neill (0-02, 1f) for D O’Connor (46), B O’Driscoll for Tom Clancy (47), J O’Rourke for K O’Driscoll (61), A Cadogan for Powter (68)
Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).
