Kilkenny are through to a Leinster semi-final after Mark Mansfield's last-minute goal gave them a 4-12 to 2-16 victory over Dublin in a thrilling contest at Parnell Park tonight.

Brian Ryan's charges hadn't led all night until their No.9's shot from distance deceived the otherwise-superb Dubs goalie Seanie Brennan, who was blinded by low sun.

With the wind at their backs, Dublin built up a slender 1-8 to 1-6 interval advantage, leaving both sides with everything to play for when the action resumed.

Kilkenny senior manager Brian Cody watched on with more than a passing interest (his son Diarmuid lined out at No.6 for the Noresiders) as the winners booked a semi-final date with Carlow on Wednesday, June 24th.

Dublin centre forward Sean Treacy got in behind the Cats defence to stroke the sliothar to the bottom right corner of the net in the fifth minute: 1-1 to no score. Wing forward Paul Winters had opened the scoring with a booming point from play in the third minute after both sides had registered early wides at blustery Donnycarney.

Treacy cancelled out a Conor Martin free and, on ten minutes, Winters nonchalantly stroked over a free to make it 1-3 to 0-1. Seconds later, Chris Bolger - who had earlier been denied by a last-gasp hook, buried the ball to the roof of the Dublin net to reduce the arrears to a more-manageable two points; Dublin replied with a Treacy free.

The impressive Treacy grabbed his fourth score after play was held up to allow treatment for one of the linesmen, who appeared to be accidentally struck in the face by a hurl. Andrew Jameson Murphy's sublime strike from a sideline cut ensured he hosts of a five-point advantage at the midway point in the first half.

Martin and Liam Blanchfield came back with two Cats points inside a minute and Oisin O'Rorke was on hand to supply the Metropolitans' seventh point before Mansfield clipped one over from the right wing. Winters smashed over an exocet from inside his own half to leave four between the teams, 1-8 to 1-4.

Willie Brennan turned to fire over a fine Cats score on 27 minutes as the sun crept out from behind the clouds, prompting widespread hope that perhaps the summer was about to begin, and a converted Martin free from a central position closed the first-half scoring.

Mansfield provided the visitors' third successive point within ten seconds of the restart and a Martin free tied the scores up in the 32nd minute. Fiontan McGibb stemmed the tide with a timely Dublin point and Winters followed up before Martin made it a one-point game once more. Further points from midfielder Cian Boland and St Brigid's clubman Winters (free) assured the Dubs of a 1-12 to 1-9 lead with 20 minutes left.

Goalkeeper Brennan executed a fine save to deny Liam Hickey a second Black & Amber goal and the importance of that intervention was magnified when Man of the Match Boland powered through to drill a low shot to the Kilkenny net to double the gap. However, as the excitement mounted, the opposition No.8 James Maher replied immediately with a Kilkenny goal! Both those majors were netted in the 42nd minute.

Boland and McGibb (after Cats custodian Darren Brennan had saved a penalty from Brennan) stretched the gap to five and Maher pared the margin to four, 2-14 to 2-10, with 46 minutes elapsed. Kilkenny's composure deserted them at a crucial juncture as they hit a couple of wides but Ciaran Ryan got through for a third Cats goal in the 53rd minute, to which Dublin immediately mustered an impressive double response with Boland and O'Rorke points.

Hickey slammed over a Kilkenny free to leave two between them with four minutes to go and it was a one-point game when Brennan brilliantly diverted Bolger's goalbound rasper over the bar two minutes from time - 2-16 to 3-12. But there was heartache for the magnificent Dublin netminder in the last minute when Mansfield's long-range strike dropped to the net to propel the Cats into the lead for the first time and effectively seal their place in the last four.

Kilkenny - D Brennan; C Delaney, C Wallace, E Cody; J Cleere, D Cody, P Deegan; M Mansfield (1-2), C Ryan (1-0); J Maher (1-1), W Brennan (0-1), L Blanchfield (0-1); C Bolger (1-1), C Martin (0-5, 4f), L Hickey (0-1f). Subs: L Scanlon for C Martin, E Morrissey for D Cody, T Phelan for L Blanchfield.

Dublin - S Brennan; J Madden, C O'Callaghan, S McClelland; E O'Donnell, S Barrett, C MacGabhann; P Winters (0-5, 2f), J Malone; C Cronin, F McGibb (0-2), C Boland (1-3); O O'Rorke (0-2), S Treacy (1-3), AJ Murphy (0-1sl). Subs: R Murphy for C MacGabhann, E McLaughlin for E O'Donnell, C O'Neill for AJ Murphy, F O Riann Broin for S Treacy.

Referee - M Murtagh.

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