Dublin vs Donegal match ended 2-26 to 2-22 after extra-time at Croke Park, and Donegal’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship run was over. Michael Murphy dragged it to extra-time with a two-point free after the hooter, but Dublin finished stronger and reached the quarter-finals.
Murphy’s late rescue
Murphy’s strike came at the end of normal time, when Donegal were seconds from elimination. His two-point free forced another 20 minutes, and it briefly shifted the game’s weight back toward Donegal after Dublin had appeared to have done enough.
That swing did not last. Dublin found the decisive scoreline in the extra period, closing out a match that had already turned on the final kick of normal time. Donegal lost by four points in the end, despite the late lift.
McGuinness on consistency
Jim McGuinness said his side “didn't do enough” and tied that to the same problem throughout the game: “On reflection, we just didn't do enough in the game in terms of consistency” and “We tried to arrive with as many healthy bodies as possible, but we just didn't have enough in the bank. That's the bottom line.”
He also pointed to the kick-out battle, saying: “Our own kick-out wasn't where it normally would be, and Dublin did well. They were getting them away very early and stretching us around the field.” McGuinness added that Donegal were “probably down around 50 per cent over the course of the game, which isn't enough. You're chasing the game then and working from scraps.”
Black cards and Croke Park
The end of normal time carried more than the score. Michael Murphy and Jason McGee were among four players shown black cards after a melee, leaving the final minutes tense before the restart for extra-time.
McGuinness still drew a line between the result and Murphy’s finish, saying: “Michael's two-pointer at the end of normal time showed real courage. The players kept battling and that's something positive.” Donegal had already won the National Football League and beaten Kerry in Killarney in the All-Ireland group-stage, but the season closed with consecutive defeats to Cork and Dublin after a shock Ulster Championship loss to Down.
