Cork v Mayo was level at half-time in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final on Saturday, with the sides tied 0-9 each. Denis Walsh said Cork had dominated everywhere except on the scoreboard, and the second half started with the match still live.
“All square at the break - 0-9 each - after a first half that Cork dominated everywhere except on the scoreboard.” Walsh wrote. He added that Cork’s crooked shooting cost them eight scores, most of which missed on the Cusack Stand post.
Denis Walsh on Cork shooting
That left Cork with the harder task after the restart. The game had already shown the gap between territory and finishing: Cork could move the ball well enough to create chances, but the finishing left the scoreline untouched.
Walsh’s follow-up line was sharper still: “Cork’s crooked shooting cost them eight scores, most of which missed on the Cusack Stand post. Very little corrective action was taken.” Those eight misses were the difference between parity and a lead at the break.
Jones and Darragh Beirne
The scoring pattern after the restart backed that up. Jones put Cork ahead at 37 minutes, but Darragh Beirne replied with a two-pointer at 38 minutes and then added another two-pointer after Kobe McDonald had scored at 41 minutes.
By 48 minutes, Cork had turned a Mayo goal chance into a Sherlock point at the other end. At 53 minutes, Ryan O’Donoghue hit the post with a two-point free before scoring a left-footed point, and Jack Carney added a two-pointer for Mayo at 55 minutes.
Croke Park and the rest of Saturday
The scoreboard kept moving, but Mayo were out in front by the hour mark, leading Cork 0-20 to 0-16 at 60 minutes. Brian Hurley came on for Cronin at that stage, while Conor Corbett and Ruairi Deane had already been introduced for Cork at 51 minutes.
Saturday’s live updates also carried Kerry v Tyrone at 6.15pm in Croke Park, while the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final ended with Limerick beating Tipperary 2-12 to 1-14. For Cork, the only point that still mattered was whether those eight wasted chances would come back to haunt them.
