Dubs advance to All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals after denying Mayo at the death

June 16, 2024

Brian Howard of Dublin and Mayo's Ryan O'Donoghue ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Cormac Costello fisted over the equaliser at the death as Dublin denied Mayo in a thriller at Dr Hyde Park where it finished 0-17 to 0-17.

The result sees the Dubs topping Group 2 with a superior score difference to the Westerners and advancing straight through to the All-Ireland senior football championship quarter, while Kevin McStay’s team now get set for a home preliminary quarter-final next weekend to try and join the last eight.

The Connacht men had matched the All-Ireland champions for long stages in this one, with Costello’s point in the 33rd minute the only thing to separate them at half-time (0-7 to 0-6).

Dessie Farrell’s charges would move three clear after five minutes of the second-half thanks to points from Costello (free) and Colm Basquel, but Mayo got it level four minutes later and would square things up four more times ensuring to not let their opponents get any kind of run on them.

On an occasion that marked Aidan O’Shea’s 90th championship appearance in his county’s colours, fellow veteran Cillian O’Connor would also feature off the bench in the closing quarter as McStay’s men pushed for the win that would see them automatically through to the last eight.

The scores of Eoin Murchan and Paul Mannion saw a two-point gap reappear in favour of the capital men ahead of it being wiped out by a point from Ryan O’Donoghue and ‘keeper Colm Reape’s sweetly struck ‘45’ on the 70-minute mark.

O’Donoghue earned a free himself two minutes later that nearly won it, but a superb catch by Ciaran Kilkenny off Stephen Cluxton’s resultant kick saw the Castleknock star moving possession inside where it found Costello whom nabbed the equaliser at the death for the holders.


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