Galway have done it! Henry Shefflin’s men were the better side in terms of accuracy in the first half, taking advantage of one fortuitous goal and another great finish to punish Cork for two missed goal chances and a wide count in double digits by half-time.
Cork turned their chance making into scores after the break, but Galway constantly did enough to keep the lead out to two, three scores. They cashed in particularly on a poorly manned midfield on short puck-outs to just get those scores when they needed. Here is the report.
Full-time: Galway 2-19 Cork 1-21
76 mins: Fintan Burke launches a sideline ball wide. Cork are delayed cynically from taking the puck but Grealish then gathers in the air. Surely that’s it for Galway now?
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-21
74 mins: Fitzgibbon has a choice to make with acres of space in front of him but Galway jerseys blocking the path to goal. Two down into the final minute, he takes his point. Is that the right call?
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-21
73 mins: Off the post from Horgan! His free was back on his own 45 but it so nearly curled back in. A scrap for the ball ensues and the umpires have called a wide.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-20
72 mins: Now Cooney takes too many steps when he had Flynn free on the inside. That could have been the score that put the game to bed but Cork survive to go up the other end where Cadogan narrows the gap to two.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-20
71 mins: Now Burke wins the break to the ball and earns the foul. Soft call but he does well to sell it. Galway doing a good job of taking the sting out of it in the dying stages.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-19
71 mins: Another long-range Galway free drifts wide. 5 minutes to be added on in Thurles!
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-19
70 mins: Off the post! Cadogan’s effort could have gone anywhere off the upright but Galway react quickest to gather and clear.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-19
69 mins: Well wide from Mannion but he did eat up some clock with the dead ball. Time is not Cork’s friend here.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-19
67 mins: Cadogan has touched the ball twice today and he now has two scores. A great run off the shoulder allows him to take the pass and fire over on the turn.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-19
66 mins: Cooney hits a long free low and flat and despite the best efforts of Collins, it has enough to get over.
Galway 2-19 Cork 1-18
65 mins: Cork’s marking is poor as the short puck finds Mannion wide open in midfield. Too easy for him to stop and launch it over.
Galway 2-18 Cork 1-18
63 mins: Brilliant defence. O’Connor was pulling the trigger when in on goal but Mannion just made enough contact with the ball to send it out for the 65. Horgan puts it over the bar.
Galway 2-16 Cork 1-18
62 mins: Daithí Burke has just put in a huge hit with Cork in on goal but it’s allowed to play on - shoulder to shoulder. That one will encourage some debate especially as Horgan fires wide before Mannion goes down the other end to score.
Galway 2-17 Cork 1-17
61 mins: Cadogan’s first touch in this quarter-final since coming on is to pounce on a Morrissey slip, take the high ball and run out wide before pulling it back over the bar from the left.
Galway 2-16 Cork 1-17
60 mins: Cork needed a score and they get it via a Horgan free from out wide. Three points for him now since being introduced at the break.
Galway 2-16 Cork 1-16
59 mins: Now Murphy picks out Cooney for a long-range monster of a point. All of a sudden Cork are staring down the barrel of a four point deficit.
Galway 2-16 Cork 1-15
58 mins: Brilliant score from Coen as the ball pin-balls from Galway to Cork jerseys in midifield. His scoop and fire stretches the lead back to two. It’s quickly out to three as Grealish feeds Monaghan for a serious finish under pressure.
Galway 2-15 Cork 1-15
56 mins: Cork are incensed as they want steps called on David Burke after he mops up close to his own line, but a belt on the forearm leads to a free out. O’Mahony gets a yellow for the challenge, that was harsh.
Galway 2-13 Cork 1-15
55 mins: Now the gap is one as O’Flynn’s first touch takes it away from Burke and allows him to send it over.
Galway 2-13 Cork 1-15
54 mins: Another Horgan point as he notches a long-range free. For the first time since the first minute, Cork are within two.
Galway 2-13 Cork 1-14
50 mins: Flynn races first to a loose ball in behind but hacks it back towards his support but the Cork defence is there to mop up. The ball flies downfield and Horgan is too quick for Daithí Burke on this occasion as he scores on the turn.
Galway 2-13 Cork 1-13
49 mins: Confusion here as the umpire isn’t sure about a wide free from Coleman. Tá is the verdict from hawkeye and Cork narrow the gap. Mannion fires a wide down the other end, wait, no, hawkeye is called again. Tá again and the gap is back to four.
Galway 2-13 Cork 1-12
46 mins: End-to-end stuff as neither side is capable of missing at the moment. Whelan does the dirty work to bat the ball on the deck towards Flynn and he has enough space to gather and launch it over.
Galway 2-12 Cork 1-11
45 mins: Class move from Galway as they build from the back once the ball to Hogan goes long. Concannon gathers the ball before cutting inside to launch it over the bar. Meade responds for Cork.
Galway 2-11 Cork 1-11
44 mins: O’Flynn gathers and fires in a split second to leave his marker for dead and keep Cork in touch.
Galway 2-10 Cork 1-10
43 mins: Galway stretch the lead back out to four via a simple Cooney free. They needed that with Cork building some nice momentum.
Galway 2-10 Cork 1-09
42 mins: Fitzgibbon adds another one in quick succession. This is much more like it from Cork.
Galway 2-09 Cork 1-09
40 mins: What a score from Fahy. Scoops it up out wide before launching from a tight angle without even looking. Fitzgibbon beats his marker down the other end as the game is flowing now with wides nowhere to be seen.
Galway 2-09 Cork 1-08
39 mins: Burke’s flick to Flynn leads to a chance but Cahalane gets a block in to limit the damage to a ‘65. Cooney knocks it over as Galway have now score twice in quick succession following the Cork goal.
Galway 2-08 Cork 1-07
38 mins: That’s a monster effort from Mannion with a free from his own 45, but it’s wide. Seven wides for Galway now as misses continue to dominate. That is until Kingston scores a goal for Cork! He wins a ball on the floor, spinning out of three challenges to find himself in on goal and this time he puts it past Murphy. Galway respond with a quick point down the other end.
Galway 2-07 Cork 1-07
36 mins: Right then, we’re back underway. Cork go on the attack straight away but Daithí Burke gets a good block in.
Galway 2-06 Cork 0-07
Change at the break. Patrick Horgan is on for Conor Lehane, no surprise really given how wasteful Cork have been.
Half-time: Galway 2-06 Cork 0-07
A Shane Kingston free narrows the gap to five points at the break but the story off the half is wides. Cork responded well to falling behind after a Collins howler in goal, but all the chances they created were wasted it felt like. Two goal chances and a wide count in the double digits.
By contrast, Galway have had their wides as well but have been much more clinical, especially with a number of scores from wide angles. They settled into it more as the half went on as the Cork full-forward line was largely shut down.
35 mins: Three Galway defenders swarm around O’Mahony who is all alone up near the Galway goal. Cork looked frazzled, plenty of wides and then speculative long balls like that.
Galway 2-06 Cork 0-06
2 minutes of added time
33 mins: McInerney can’t continue after trying to run on. Shame to see him limp off. As he does, Cork continue on and Kingston fails with yet another wide.
Galway 2-06 Cork 0-06
32 mins: McInereney looks ok and when play resumes Fitzgibbon is harried into taking too many steps. Cooney sees his effort from the free half-blocked but Whelan has a chance close to the Cork goal! STEPS! He’s called for running too far with it and Cork survive.
Galway 2-06 Cork 0-06
30 mins: After a good ten minutes or so with both sides being more accurate with their efforts, Carnedy fires one wide from range. There’s a break here as McInerney is lying on the floor with his helmet off receiving treatment.
Galway 2-06 Cork 0-06
29 mins: O’Mahony and O’Flynn link well to work a chance from out wide but the effort is low and hit straight at Murphy in the Galway net. Cooney then strikes one from a narrow angle yet again as Galway stretch their lead.
Galway 2-06 Cork 0-06
28 mins: That’s a class score from Whelan. From a tight angle and with O’Donoghue all over him, he hits it with his body falling away from goal but has the skill to knock it over. Burke then follows up with one that is inches from dropping under the crossbar.
Galway 2-05 Cork 0-06
27 mins: Bang bang from Cork as O’Flynn launches one high, very high but crucially long enough as it drops over the bar.
Galway 2-03 Cork 0-06
26 mins: Cork needed that. Coleman takes over the free duties from halfway, striking it well to raise the white flag.
Galway 2-03 Cork 0-05
25 mins: How is this game still so low-scoring? Now Galway strike a wide, this time Fahy from range. If you look at the flags, there’s no wind in Semple Stadium. Glennon ends the run of wides as his link with Monaghan leads to the chance to extend Galway’s lead.
Galway 2-03 Cork 0-04
24 mins: Two wides in quick succession from Cork, the second one from a sideline ball from Coleman. Nearing double digits in terms of chances missed, it’s well over 10 if you include Murphy’s saves...
Galway 2-02 Cork 0-04
22 mins: Not for the first time today Murphy saves Galway in the goal but Fitzgibbon’s effort was weakly hit after a deft flick from O’Mahony played him in behind.
Galway 2-02 Cork 0-04
21 mins: Galway too are guilty of missing opportunities as Cooney notches his side’s fourth wide, this time from a free inside his own half.
Galway 2-02 Cork 0-04
20 mins: Seven first half wides now for Cork as Lehane misses a long free from the sideline. They’re the better side in terms of chances created but the finishing has been poor.
Galway 2-02 Cork 0-04
18 mins: Cork are trying to get the ball up to Connolly but the pass is a poor one to him. Cahalane manages to win the ball back though and launches a long-range beauty to respond well to the Galway goal.
Galway 2-02 Cork 0-04
17 mins: Whelan has scored a cracker for Galway! He had no right to win that ball with Sean O’Donoghue tracking well, but the sheer strength to hold off his man and then the skill to finish from a tight angle right on the line was fantastic.
Galway 2-02 Cork 0-03
15 mins: Kingston pressures the puck-out well but when he misses the ball there’s space behind him for the Galway midfield to flood through. A scrappy ball lets Cork mop up but when steps are called Cooney is able to put one over the bar for Galway. They needed that after a fair few wides of their own.
Galway 1-02 Cork 0-03
13 mins: Burke looks to catch the defence on the hop by launching a free in to his forwards instead of over the bar, but the Cork defence is live to the threat.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-03
12 mins: Lehane slots a free from a tight angle but not far out. Cork settling now after plenty of early wides.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-03
11 mins: First yellow of the day as Conor Cooney puts in a high shot. Cork finally end their run of wides thanks to Coleman.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-02
10 mins: That wide from Lehane off the 65 is Cork’s fifth of the day already. They’re creating plenty but the shooting boots are not on yet.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-01
9 mins: Another Cork wide, this time from Connolly straight off the puck-out. The radar isn’t working but it is now as Murphy has to pull off a stunning save in the Galway goal seconds later. 65 for Cork.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-01
8 mins: Cathal Mannion jumps into the air in celebration after winning a free out while tracking back. You’d swear he just scored the winner! Early days to be celebrating yet.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-01
7 mins: David Burke lets fly from out wide on the 65 line after plenty of scrapping for the ball on the floor. It was a tricky shot with three men in his face and it sails wide.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-01
5 mins: Fintan Burke’s sideline ball causes problems as it drops deep in the Cork half but a missed effort on the floor allows the defence to clear. Shane Kingston then makes up for his early miss after Sean O’Donoghue and Darragh Fitzgibbon linked up well.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-01
3 mins: Another wide for the rebels as Mark Coleman sends it wide while under no pressure at all. Down the other end, Galway add to their lead through Cathal Mannion.
Galway 1-01 Cork 0-00
2 mins: Shane Kingston goes on a lovely solo from inside his own half, beating plenty of Galway defenders but the final product isn’t there as his effort drifts out to the left.
Galway 1-00 Cork 0-00
1 min: Disaster for Cork! Jack Grealish launches a speculative long-range point which drops short but Patrick Collins in the Cork goal has taken his eye off it! It drops into the net for the perfect Galway start but what an error from Collins.
Galway 1-00 Cork 0-00
Plenty of touching tributes in Thurles to Tyrone hurler Damian Casey who tragically died yesterday. We pass on our deepest sympathies to his family.
David Burke comes back in wearing the 9 jersey after missing out against Kilkenny for Galway. Cianan Fahy has appealed a suspension to play, while on the Cork side they are unchanged from the line-up that saw off Antrim. Paul O’Dwyer is today’s referee.
“The beauty of sport is we just don’t know what’s going to happen.” No bullish predictions from Galway bainisteoir Henry Shefflin who pre-match has said that he thought his side were mentally prepared to beat Kilkenny in the Leinster final. It didn’t go their way on that day so Shefflin knows better than to make any predictions.
