Cork trailed for 70 minutes but pulled the game out of the fire to beat Dublin by 1-15 to 1-14 at Croke Park.

Dublin's regimental system seemed to have the Rebels flabbergasted and Pat Gilroy's charges looked on course for a famous win as they led by two points with three minutes left, only for Cork to slot over four late points to turn the game on its head.

Dublin led by four points at half time and by the same margin after three-quarters of the match, but the concession of a 54th-minute penalty and three pointed frees in the last three minutes (all four of those scores converted by Donncha O'Connor) saw their dream go up in smoke. Dubs talisman Bernard Brogan was the star performer again with a magnificent return of 1-7.

Cork were chasing the game from the moment the No.15 planted the ball in their net inside the first minute and finally went ahead for the first time on the stroke of full time.

A return of 1-4 from the brilliant Bernard Brogan gave Dublin a 1-8 to 0-7 half-time lead. The younger Brogan brother was the difference between the teams in that opening period, netting inside a minute and kicking a litany of fantastic points from all angles. In contrast, Cork were uneconomical in possession, wasteful in their shooting and surrendered possession too often.

Both teams started as selected and there was an incredible atmosphere in the stadium just before throw-in. The stage was set for an epic battle…

Dublin got off to a phenomenal start with a goal after 60 seconds. Bernard Brogan caught a great Niall Corkery delivery and sent an unstoppable shot into the bottom right corner of Alan Quirke's net. An unbelievable finish from a truly exceptional footballer

Donncha O'Connor opened Cork's account with a point from play but Alan Brogan made it 1-1 to 0-1 after four minutes with a nice finish. Bryan Cullen spurned a great chance to stretch the Metropolitans' lead and Daniel Goulding made them pay when he stoked over a free from the ground to close the gap to two.

Corner back Philly McMahon thumped over a magnificent Dublin point and Stephen Cluxton made a fine save to deny Pearse O'Neill from close range. Bernard Brogan registered his second point into the old Canal End to make to 1-3 to 0-2 after 13 minutes. Already, the Rebels had recorded five wides.

Goulding ignored the jeers of the Hill to curl over a majestic free off the ground but Bernard Brogan responded with a beautiful free from the hands after Graham Canty's foul on Eoghan O'Gara. Goulding got in behind the Dublin defence in the 16th minute and attempted to handpass a point only to see his effort drop into the net. No score.

At the end of the first quarter, Alan Brogan showed the Cork defence a clean pair of heels to add to the Sky Blue tally with his second point: 1-5 to 0-3. It was back to double scores when Aidan Walsh boomed over a Cork point from out the field.

Michael Shields made a fabulous diving block to deny Bernard Brogan a point and the normally-dependable Cluxton drilled the resultant 45 wide off his wrong side. Goulding was responsible for the Rebel County's eighth wide from a scoreable free as a long scoreless spell ensued (neither side found the target between the 18th and 29th minutes), and McMahon hit a Dublin wide at the other end off his left foot.

In the 29th minute, Michael Darragh McAuley burst through the Cork defence and flicked the ball over the bar with an open hand but the referee failed to spot the foul and the point stood. Almost instantly, Paddy Kelly responded for the Leesiders with the best score of the match so far.

In the 32nd minute, Bernard Brogan made it double scores again, 1-7 to 0-5, with a truly outstanding solo point around the corner on the run. Dublin's undisciplined tackling was attracting more yellow cards than Pat Gilroy would have been happy with. O'Connor punished the latest - from Kevin Nolan - with a converted free and Paul Kerrigan followed up within seconds with a lovely point from play on the run.

The Dubs were extremely fortunate in the first minute of first-half injury time when Kerrigan's shot from distance almost curled into the net but rebounded into play off the inside of a post, with Cluxton beaten. Within seconds, Bernard Brogan was banging over his fourth point of the match to give his team a four-point interval cushion.

Conor Counihan's gamble to start Graham Canty didn't pay off and he replaced his inspirational but unfit captain with Eoin Cadogan at the break. The Dubs kept Cork waiting out on the pitch before the restart and emerged to resume hostilities.

The Munster side went straight into the attack upon the restart but full forward Ciaran Sheehan skewered his shot badly wide when he should have scored. Goulding then dropped a free wide as Cork's woes continued. Dublin were prepared to let them have possession out the field and were happy to defend in numbers, absorbing the pressure.

Alan Brogan had a wide and a miss off a post and John Miskella dropped a shot short into Cluxton's arms. Cullen struck Dublin's seventh wide as the quality dipped way below what we'd expect on such a big occasion. Ross McConnell booted over the first score of the second half in the 42nd minute to put the Dubs five clear.

O'Connor hit his side's twelfth wide from an easy free in front of goal as Cork's challenge almost totally disintegrated. In the 47th minute, Goulding finally opened his team's second-half account with a nice score from play. Two minutes later, Bernard Brogan knocked over a lovely point with his left foot, making it 1-10 to 0-8. Cork had been dreadful and were lucky to be just five behind.

A searing run from Kerrigan finally won the Rebels a free and Goulding arced this one between the posts to make it 0-9 to 1-10 at the three-quarters stage. Cork had just introduced Colm O'Neill and the sub had an instant impact when Ross McConnell wrestled him to ground inside the large square for a definite Rebel penalty.

O'Connor sent Cluxton the wrong way and was relieved to see his shot trickle over the line off the butt of the left-hand post. There was just a point in it now with 15 minutes left. Cue another extraordinary point from the utterly unmarkable Bernard Brogan: 1-11 to 1-9.

In the 59th minute, Cullen fobbed off his man with a strong arm and curled a lovely point over the bar at the Hill 16 end. That score meant the hosts led by three points with an hour played.

Colm O'Neill swerved to land a super Cork point in the 61st minute as Dublin continued to defend deep and the Rebels kept pouring forward looking for chinks in their defence. A very fortunate free was awarded to Goulding when he was beaten to the ball by Michael Fitzsimons, and a quickly-taken free sent Kelly through, but his angles were closed down and he could only manage a point.

With seven minutes left, it was a one-point match, 1-12 to 1-11 in Dublin's favour. A back injury to Nicholas Murphy wasted away a couple of vital minutes and substitute Conal Keaney popped the ball between the posts from his hands after being awarded the softest of frees.

O'Connor tapped over a Cork free three minutes from the end after Rory O'Carroll upended Colm O'Neill and the Cork No.18 won another free two minutes from time, with O'Connor again striking his effort between the posts from off the deck: 1-13 each.

McConnell picked up a second yellow card - and a red - for a last-minute foul on Noel O'Leary and O'Connor slotted over his third free in as many minutes to give Cork the lead for the first time - on the stroke of 70 minutes!

Derek Kavanagh came off the bench to knock over the insurance point in the second of three added minutes. Bernard Brogan eased over his seventh point right at the death but the Dubs ran out of time and the final whistle sounded as Alan Quirke took his kick-out.

Cork: Alan Quirke; Ray Carey, Michael Shields, John Miskella; Noel O'Leary, Graham Canty, Paudie Kissane; Alan O'Connor, Aidan Walsh (0-1); Paul Kerrigan (0-1), Pearse O'Neill, Patrick Kelly (0-2); Daniel Goulding (0-4), Ciaran Sheehan, Donncha O'Connor (1-5). Subs: Eoin Cadogan, Nicholas Murphy, Colm O'Neill (0-1), Derek Kavanagh (0-1), Fintan Goold.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Rory O'Carroll, Philly McMahon (0-1); Kevin Nolan, Ger Brennan, Cian O'Sullivan; Ross McConnell (0-1), Michael Darragh McAuley (0-1); Niall Corkery, Alan Brogan (0-2), Bryan Cullen (0-1); David Henry, Eoghan O'Gara, Bernard Brogan (1-7). Subs: Barry Cahill, Paul Flynn, Eamonn Fennell, Conal Keaney (0-1), Denis Bastick. Tweet

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