ALL-IRELAND MFC QUARTER FINAL Cork 3-11 Armagh 0-19:AN INJURY-TIME goal from substitute Stephen O'Mahony helped Cork strip Armagh of their All-Ireland minor football crown in an exciting quarter-final at Croke Park yesterday.
The holders looked likely winners for long spells, having been 0-6 to 0-2 ahead after the opening quarter and 0-12 to 1-5 clear at the break, but Cork’s bench worked well in the second half.
Other substitutes, Mathew O’Shea, helped tighten the defence and, Dan McEoin, pounced for a critical goal 12 minutes from the end to level matters at 2-9 to 0-15.
Armagh came again, however, and late points by defender Niall McConville and replacement Colin Stevenson nudged them two ahead only for O’Mahony’s intervention at the death.
Goalkeeper David Hanrahan denied the Ulster side with two fine saves in the first half and Cork needed midfielder John O’Rourke’s 22nd-minute goal to keep them afloat as free-scoring Armagh threatened to sail out of sight.
The pattern continued in the third quarter as Armagh led by 0-15 to 1-8, but a quick 1-1 from McEoin gave Cork a new lease of life and they progressed to meet Galway in the semis.
CORK: D Hanrahan; K Fulignati, D Cahalane (0-1), D Murphy; D Lester (0-1), T Clancy, J Wall; J Burns, J O'Rourke (1-1); K Sheehan (0-1 free), D Fitzgerald (0-1), A Cronin; K Hallissey (0-1), T Hegarty, B Hurley (0-3, one from a free). Subs: M O'Shea for Wall (half-time), D McEoin (1-1)for Sheehan (half-time), S O'Mahony (1-1)for Hegarty (47 mins), D O'Donovan for Fulignati (50 mins), M Sugrue for Fitzgerald (59 mins).
ARMAGH: M McNiece; R McCaughley, C Hoey, R Finnegan; D Hugent, J King (0-1), N McConville (0-2); P Carragher (0-1), captain, C Gough (0-1); M McKenna (0-1), A Forker (0-6, three from frees), B Seeley (0-2, one from a free); R Conlon (0-2), P McKeown, R Rafferty (0-2). Subs: D Mullen for McCaughley (56 mins), C Stevenson (0-1)for Conlon (57 mins), C Trainor for Seeley (58 mins).
Referee: J Curley(Meath)
