Galway United 0 Cork City 0: Premier Division leaders Cork City are lucky to be still in this year's competition after Galway United were denied a late penalty which could have sent Damien Richardson's side crashing out at the first hurdle for the second consecutive year.
Dave Goldby pushed the ball past Cork goalkeeper Michael Devine and was dragged to the ground as he went to round him, but referee Dave McKeon waved play on.
The home side dominated the first half, and Devine was kept busy, denying Goldby and Nigel Keady before tipping David O'Dowd's blistering shot over his crossbar.
The Cork players must have got a tongue lashing by Richardson at half-time as they re-emerged a transformed side. They pinned their hosts into their 18-yard box for the first 25 minutes from the half, but apart from a fierce John O'Flynn shot which Billy Clery deflected wide for a corner six minutes into the half, they rarely troubled Alan Gough in the United goal.
After soaking up enormous Cork pressure, the home side came out of their shell in the last 20 minutes and Alan Bennett had to clear a Clery overhead kick off the line in the 74th minute, before the late controversy three minutes from time. The replay is at Turner's Cross on Monday night.
GALWAY UTD: Gough; Frawley, Keady, Clery, Reilly; O'Brien, Harty, Fortune, Casey; O'Dowd, Goldby.
CORK CITY: Devine, Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Woods; O'Donovan, O'Brien, O'Callaghan, Gamble; O'Flynn, Fenn. Subs: Murphy for O'Brien (inj, 31 mins), O'Halloran for Fenn (82 mins).
Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).
