All-Ireland SFC quarter-final: Donegal 1-26 Monaghan 1-20
Back in April when Donegal beat Monaghan in the Ulster SFC, they coughed up a seven-point lead and were left clinging on in Clones.
The roles were reversed this time at Croke Park. Well, kind of. Donegal ultimately won again and advanced to the last four of the All-Ireland race.
But this time it was the back-to-back Ulster champions who needed to conjure the magical second-half comeback from seven points down.
That was the margin they trailed by at half-time as a mixture of Monaghan’s excellence, Shaun Patton’s kick-out difficulties and, perhaps, Donegal’s fatigue all combined to leave Jim McGuinness’s side on the brink of a championship exit.
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In what was their ninth game of the campaign, and their fourth in June alone, Donegal hauled themselves back from that precipice with a brilliant second-half performance.
Michael Langan’s improvement mirrored the team’s and he reeled off a hugely significant 1-3 in the second half, while the 2012 champions picked off 11 unanswered points between the 46th and 68th minutes.
Michael Murphy kicked three poor wides but was as influential as ever in regular play, finishing with 0-4, the same as Conor O’Donnell and Ciarán Thompson, while Shane O’Donnell, who struck 0-3, was named man-of-the-match.
There were important cameos too from substitute Patrick McBrearty and hard-running defenders Peadar Mogan and Ciarán Moore.
Afterwards, McGuinness said there was no panic at half-time and revealed that the responsibility was thrown on to the players to provide a response.
McGuinness also used the platform to distance himself and the players from the statement issued earlier in the week by Donegal GAA complaining about the scheduling of the game.
It’s the end of the line for Monaghan who will have nightmares about how the game slipped away from them in a second half when both Ryan McAnespie and Conor McCarthy were taken off with hamstring injuries.
McCarthy scored Monaghan’s very first point and while the scores were tied at 0-8 apiece approaching the half-hour mark, the Farney County opened up with some magical football before the break.
Patton was in real difficulties with his kick-out and when he kicked straight to Stephen O’Hanlon in the 28th minute, it ended with Micheál Bannigan netting for Monaghan.
Monaghan were in dreamland with their 1-15 to 0-11 lead and they eyed a first semi-final place since 2023.
But three Donegal points in a row to begin the second half was a strong statement of Tír Chonaill intentions.
The two O’Donnells, Shane and Conor, darted through gaps in the Monaghan defence which previously hadn’t been there. Then Langan played a one-two with Murphy and slammed to the net for Donegal’s 44th-minute goal.
All the momentum was with Donegal now and a Langan two-pointer in the 68th minute capped a 22-minute period of sustained Donegal scoring.
DONEGAL: S Patton; F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan (0-0-2); R McHugh (0-0-1), E Ban Gallagher, C Moore; H McFadden, M Langan (1-1-1); C McColgan, C Thompson (0-2-0), S O’Donnell (0-0-3); C O’Donnell (0-0-4), M Murphy (0-0-4, 2f), O Gallen (0-0-3).
Subs: D O Baoill for McColgan (40); J McGee for McFadden (45); P McBrearty (0-0-2) for Gallen (49); E McHugh for R McHugh (56); N O’Donnell for Murphy (67).
MONAGHAN: R Beggan (0-2-1, 1 tpf, 1f); R O’Toole (0-0-1), K Duffy, D Byrne; R Wylie, D Ward, A Carey; M McCarville, G Mohan; R McAnespie, C McCarthy (0-0-2), S O’Hanlon (0-0-3); A Woods (0-2-0), M Bannigan (1-0-2, 1f), C McNulty (0-0-1).
Subs: J McCarron for McAnespie (40 mins); L Kelly for McCarville (50); D Garland (0-1-0) for McNulty (51); D Hughes for Mohan (59); K O’Connell for McCarthy (59); S Mooney for Garland (60-63 blood).
Ref: P Neilan (Roscommon).
