Dublin 0-8 Donegal 0-6:THE OLD adage about semi-finals being all about winning came under pressure at Croke Park yesterday, as Dublin advanced to the All-Ireland football final for the first time in 16 years.

Firstly, Dublin saw one important forward, Paul Flynn, helped off injured and another, Diarmuid Connolly, facing suspension.

Secondly, it wasn’t at all clear that Donegal did want to win the match, as they appeared to hesitate when the favourites were fast running out of options, instead retreating into their shell. Surely even a team as conservatively laid out as the Ulster champions couldn’t have been trying to defend a three-point lead for nearly half an hour?

Of course just after moving 0-6 to 0-3 ahead Donegal sustained the loss of Karl Lacey, who was unable to continue, and the absence of their defence’s most influential player didn’t help the composure levels.

Yet even pessimists, warily eyeing the prospect of a contest where the team with just the occasional extra defenders was considered the adventurous one, must have been shaken by yesterday’s semi-final.

Culminating in a scoreline, the parsimony of which hadn’t been seen since the 1950s – when matches were 10 minutes shorter – the afternoon showcased football’s brave new world where teams aspire to conceding the fewest scores.

By the end however, Dublin had done enough. It wasn’t easy and they looked perilously close to panic at times. The effectiveness of Donegal’s defensive lock-down was such that the Leinster champions ended up with a clutch of statistics, more usually associated with the well-beaten: Only two points scored in the first half, waiting a full hour for the first score from play, nothing at all from play for either of the Brogans or Diarmuid Connolly.

Yet they managed eight points and won pulling up, as Donegal’s full court press of two forwards ended up with Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy gazing forlornly down the field anxiously waiting for news of the ball.

Donegal started confidently. Their packed defence denied Dublin’s attack any space and the favourites didn’t respond well to the pressure, shooting hurriedly and racking up early wides as well as misdirected passes, which the Donegal defence gratefully consumed. The only glitch was that when given the opportunity to attack, the Ulster champions were as wasteful as their opponents when, given a game-plan based on hard-breaking counter-attack, they needed to be even more clinical than Dublin.

Michael Murphy spent a lot of the game too far from goal and kicked four first-half wides. Colm McFadden was closer to goal and ended up as the top scorer from play with two points but equally, could have had more.

Dublin’s cause wasn’t helped by the need to withdraw full back Rory O’Carroll, who had picked up a knock, after 25 minutes. Despite the defence not exactly operating in the Pass of Thermopylae, his controlling presence and self-assurance were missed.

And assurance was something lacking by half-time. Dublin were kicking on sight – Alan Brogan had four wides by the interval – and frustration was visible. Against any other opponents the price for the first-half display would have been steeper than two points, 0-2 to 0-4.

Gilroy made a significant change at the break, sending in Kevin McManamon to facilitate the running game that the team had been curiously reluctant to execute despite an abundance of uncontested possession. It took McManamon a while to find his bearings but as Donegal tired, he exerted a major influence.

First though, Donegal started the second half brightly. Murphy took on the defence and placed McFadden, whose clever dummy opened up the path to goal but his shot was critically just too high and the margin stretched to three rather than five. The same player had a point chance just afterwards but was wide and Dublin stirred.

Stephen Cluxton emerged from goal to miss two frees in the first half but nailed his first in the 42nd minute. There were also signs that Donegal were flagging and McManamon found space.

Alan Brogan worked tirelessly as ever and his brother Bernard gave an intelligent performance in the minimalist circumstances, getting fouled for scoreable frees and creating the lead score for captain Bryan Cullen.

Incrementally the match came back to Dublin. Bernard Brogan kicked a free, Cluxton added a 45 and McManamon delivered the equaliser despite losing his footing.

Donegal were guilty of poor decision-making in a couple of attacks, not picking up the support runner and going it alone. Far from protecting the 0-6 to 0-3 lead from the 44th minute, they failed to score again.

Just before Dublin equalised they sustained another blow.

Diarmuid Connolly, jostled by Marty Boyle after winning a free, retaliated and got a red card, in the process losing the free and reducing Dublin to 14 men for the second time in three matches.

The dismissal didn’t encourage Donegal to be much more ambitious and Dublin got their claws into the last 10 minutes.

An exquisite flick by Bernard Brogan sent McManamon in on goal but he was blocked. Brogan picked up the loose ball and, spotting Cullen unmarked on the far side of the goal, picked out a perfect pass.

The captain’s been around long enough not to be seduced by the sight of goal and his point put Dublin ahead for the first time.

It was the 62nd minute and the lead wasn’t threatened thereafter.

DUBLIN: 1 S Cluxton (0-2, free and 45); 2 C O’Sullivan, 3 R O’Carroll, 4 M Fitzsimons; 5 J McCarthy, 6 G Brennan, 7 K Nolan; 9 MD Macauley, 8 D Bastick; 10 P Flynn, 11 B Cahill, 12 B Cullen (0-1); 13 A Brogan, 14 D Connolly, 15 B Brogan (0-4, all frees). Subs: 20 P McMahon for O’Carroll (26 mins), 25 K McManamon (0-1) for Cahill (ht), 24 E O’Gara for McCarthy (61 mins), 21 E Fennell for Bastick (65 mins), 21 R McConnell for Flynn (67 mins). Yellow cards: McCarthy (9 mins), Cahill (32 mins), O’Sullivan (51 mins). Red card: Connolly (58 mins).

DONEGAL: 1 P Durcan; 6 K Lacey, 17 E McGee, 3 N McGee; 7 K Cassidy (0-1), 2 P McGrath, 5 A Thompson; 8 R Kavanagh, 12 R Bradley (0-1); 10 M McHugh, 14 M Murphy, 24 C Toye; 15 C McFadden (0-4, 0-2 frees), 20 D Walsh, 4 F McGlynn. Subs: 11 M Hegarty for Toye (half-time), 18 M Boyle for Lacey (42 mins), 21 M McElhinney for Hegarty (64 mins), 13 P McBrearty for Boyle (67 mins). Yellow cards: Murphy (38 mins), Thompson (66 mins).

Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois).

Key moments

9th minute: After an ultra-tense opening that saw each side kick three wides, Colm McFadden's free opens the scoring for Donegal. 0-0/0-1

26th minute: Just after Ryan Bradley has kicked the first point of the afternoon from play, Dublin sustain a serious loss with the departure of Rory O'Carroll, who had picked up an injury earlier. 0-1/0-2

32nd minute: Dublin's growing frustration is highlighted by Alan Brogan's optimistic effort from a line ball, which drifts to the right for his fourth wide. 0-2/0-4

36th minute: Donegal start the second half purposefully and McFadden dummies his way in for a clear chance, which he kicks just over the bar. A goal at this stage could have finished Dublin. 0-2/0-5

46th minute: Experienced defender Karl Lacey, one of Donegal's most important influences, is forced to leave the field with an injury. 0-3/0-6

49th minute: Dublin's second-half replacement Kevin McManamon takes on the Donegal defence and although his shot drops short it's a sign of trouble ahead for the Ulster champions. 0-3/0-6

58th minute: Diarmuid Connolly is red-carded after appearing to push over Marty Boyle just when Dublin have been awarded a free, which is cancelled. 0-5/0-6 60th minute: Dublin substitute McManamon runs at the defence, appears to lose his footing before recovering to kick the equaliser. 0-6/0-6

62nd minute: Finally Dublin move ahead after Bernard Brogan's perceptive ball across the goal to Bryan Cullen, who kicks the point for a lead which the Leinster champions don't lose. 0-7/0-6