Following a fiery game at Cork’s Páirc Uí Rinn, Donegal’s undefeated streak was upended by the home team. Colm O’Callaghan’s brilliance shone throughout the match, eventually locating the ball for a decisive counter-attack, sealing the victory at 3-9 to 0-16. This nudges Cork to the top of their group. If they are successful in the final face-off against Tyrone, they will advance directly to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Donegal, champions of Ulster, seemed off their rhythm, missing golden scoring opportunities. Patrick McBrearty could have scored a couple of goals in the first half, but seemed content with two points. The highly competent middlefield players were thrust under severe pressure from Cork’s spirited long kickouts and fierce pursuit of breaks. The most devastating blow for Donegal was their defense, usually impenetrable, conceding three goals with another two close calls.
However, they rallied to recover from a five-point deficit, their largest of the championship, only to watch Cork fight back through Steven Sherlock and ultimately O’Callaghan.
The real damage was done shortly after the second half began, with Donegal’s defense, previously unbreached, relinquishing second and third goals just four minutes in. This revolutionised the scoreboard and gave Cork a newfound belief in their potential.
Seán Powter was instrumental in sparking this shift. After an unsuccessful shot by Peadar Mogan, Powter’s staunch run at Donegal’s defense resulted in him successfully directing the ball past Patton. A minute later, a combined effort from Brian Hurley and O’Callaghan led to a deflected shot finding Rory Maguire who hammered it home.
Hurley swiftly added another point, placing Cork in the lead at 3-5 to 0-9. With the scale of the task at hand, Donegal strained to compete and return to the scoreboard. Following the match, McGuinness admitted that his team might have exhausted themselves in their bid to catch up with Cork.
The finale of the longest championship journey undertaken by a team from Donegal ended in disappointment after a notably excellent display defeating Tyrone in the first round. This was reminiscent of their reaction after being forced to play a week following their critical defeat of favourites Derry in the Ulster quarter-final.
Relentless sunshine bathed 7,251 spectators in Páirc Uí Rinn, who gathered for the second round of the Sam Maguire competition. Despite protracted attacking attempts, there were only negligible scores to report. By the game’s tenth minute, there had been only one mark on the scoreboard, a single point free for the guests, courtesy of Patrick McBrearty. Meanwhile, Cork was struggling to maintain consistency in their offence, resulting in several turnovers in the initial stages of the match.
As the game settled into an unremarkable rate, a moment arose for Cork that saw them pulling ahead by three points. This started with Ryan McHugh’s dislodging mid one of Donegal’s casual attacks, with goalkeeper Shaun Patton in the foreground. The unfortunate circumstance was that the opposing player, quick-footed wing back Matty Taylor, made the intercept. He sprinted down the pitch, with Patton dashing back to his goal, but Taylor managed to reach the goal first and confidently score past the goalkeeper. Chris Óg Jones followed up with a point, pushing Cork’s lead to three.
This sudden lead jolted Donegal into action, provoking more urgency. By the interval, they had managed to claw back the deficit and create a two-point lead, with the score standing at 0-9 to 1-4. Unfortunately, Cork’s offensive outburst at the start of the second half set a goal for Donegal that they simply could not meet.
The Cork team consisted of C Kelly, K Flahive, D O’Mahony, M Shanley, R Maguire (1-0), T Walsh, M Taylor (1-0), I Maguire, C O’Callaghan (0-2), P Walsh (0-1), S Powter (1-0), B O’Driscoll, C Óg Jones (0-2), M Cronin, and B Hurley who scored 0-3, including two free points.
In the 45th minute, C Corbett was substituted in for Powter, followed by S Sherlock (scored 0-1) replacing Jones in the 50th minute. T Clancy was then brought on for T Walsh in the 57th minute, with R Deane substituting Cronin at the 65th minute mark. E McSweeney took over from Hurley in the 71st minute, and S Meehan was subbed in for P Walsh during the 74th minute.
The Donegal team consisted of S Patton, EB Gallagher, B McCole, P Mogan, R McHugh (scored 0-1), C McGonagle (recorded 0-1), and C Moore (notched up 0-2). The team also included J McGee, M Langan, S O’Donnell, C Thompson, D Ó Baoill, P McBrearty (who scored a notable 0-7, with three frees), and O Gallen (who secured 0-3, with two frees). The team was rounded out by N O’Donnell (0-1).
In terms of further substitutions, A Doherty (0-1) was brought on for Ó Baoill at half-time, with O Doherty replacing McGee in the 42nd minute. J Brennan came on board for N O’Donnell in the 53rd minute, and J Mac Cealbhuí substituted S O’Donnell in the 61st minute. The referee on this occasion was B Griffin from Kerry.