Michael Murphy forced extra-time in Dublin vs Donegal with a last-gasp two-pointer after the hooter. Donegal had been staring at defeat, but the final kick levelled the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship round three contest and changed the finish in one stroke.
Croke Park finishes
Donegal were given one final opportunity once the hooter had sounded, and Murphy stepped forward from beyond the two-point arc to land the equaliser. The score sent Donegal supporters into raptures, then tempers flared as players from both sides converged and Martin McNally moved in to restore order.
That finish followed a sharp late swing. Michael Langan had earlier sent an effort over the crossbar instead of into the net, while Lee Gannon fist-punched over the bar to push Dublin three points clear. A game that looked settled had opened again in the space of a few moments.
Paddy Small and Colm Basquel
Dublin then appeared to seize control through Con O'Callaghan, who burst through the heart of the Donegal defence before setting up Paddy Small for a low finish into the far corner of the net. That goal put Dublin two points ahead with three minutes remaining, and it left Donegal needing a response under pressure.
Colm Basquel answered with a two-point score from play down the right flank to level the match again. Jason McGee then scored his third point of the afternoon to put Donegal back in front, closing a spell in which the lead changed hands fast and the quarter-final race tightened in the closing moments.
Michael Murphy and Donegal
Murphy’s strike was the decisive act in normal time. It came after Donegal had already been forced into one final attack, and it turned a late Dublin advantage into a level finish before extra-time.
For Donegal, that meant the contest stayed alive after they had been behind by two points with three minutes left. Dublin had been close to a quarter-final place, but Murphy’s two-pointer denied them that finish in normal time and pushed the championship tie into the next phase.
