All-Ireland SFC Round 2A: Donegal 1-13 Cork 0-17
A group perched high in the Balor Arts Centre, perfectly placed just behind Seán MacCumhaill Park, watched as the drama unfolded.
The tale went off script as Cork, given little in the way of even a sniff in the prematch predictions, stunned Donegal to advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Steven Sherlock was the chief architect – spinning over four two-pointers and nailing a 45 for good measure – for the Rebels, who made hay, coming back from seven points down against an off-colour Donegal.
“When the draw was made, everybody was complaining that it was the draw from hell, but we said: bring it on,” said Cork manager John Cleary.
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“We felt there would have been more pressure on us if we had been drawn at home against a lesser team. What we wanted to do was come up and give a performance to see where that would take us.
“What we wanted to do was to put on a performance after coming here into the lion’s den, into a cauldron – and I felt that we did that. We have often had better performances, but I felt that our defence was heroic today there.”
Cork only led for the first time with eight minutes to go when Tommy Walsh’s audacious shot from long range flew over for two points. Walsh drove in just seconds after Luke Fahy also raised an orange flag with a sumptuous effort also from far out.
MacCumhaill Park fell into a stunned silence momentarily, but Jason McGee restored parity soon after for the home side.
However, Sherlock landed his fourth two-pointer, and third from a free, to put Cork two in front in the 65th minute and Donegal looked in need of smelling salts.
“We’re bitterly disappointed,” said Donegal manager Jim McGuinness. “We didn’t do enough to win the game. Cork came with a game plan, to take the sting out of the game and slow it down.
“From our own point of view, we just didn’t do enough. Cork could sense it then. You could feel that in the stadium. They got after it more and they got real energy from that.
“We’re not here to make excuses but it was a very tricky wind. Both sides struggled with it. It just complicates it but we just didn’t get into the flow we usually do and keep the scoreboard ticking over.”
Donegal might not have been as devastating as they were in Killarney when storming the All-Ireland champions recently, but Conor O’Donnell netted a 24th-minute goal that still felt like a big moment.
Walsh had his pocket picked by Michael Murphy after he took receipt of a short kick-out and he unselfishly squared for O’Donnell to apply the finish.
Donegal might have added a second goal barely a minute later but, having been teed up by Finnbarr Roarty, Murphy’s batted effort at goal was kept out by Patrick Doyle.
Sherlock brilliantly converted a free from outside the arc to narrow the deficit and in the final play of the first half, Fahy could only find the side netting after a clever give-and-go put him in a one-on-one with returned Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton.
An enterprising chipped attempt by Ciarán Moore beat Doyle in the 48th minute, but Maurice Shanley saved on the line.
Sherlock, with another two-pointer, and sub Conor Corbett brought Cork a little closer and they had a chance to level it, but Brian O’Driscoll blasted narrowly wide of the far post with a glorious opportunity.
Yet, in a gripping if untidy finale, Cork got in front − and held on.
DONEGAL: S Patton; E Gallagher, B McCole, P Mogan (0-0-1); R McHugh (0-0-1), C McGonagle, F Roarty; J McGee (0-0-1), H McFadden; S O’Donnell (0-0-1), M Langan (0-0-2), C Moore; C O’Donnell (1-0-0), M Murphy (0-0-2, 1f), O Gallen (0-0-4).
Subs: C McColgan for McHugh, D Ó Baoill for S O’Donnell (both 54 mins); T Carr (0-0-1) for C O’Donnell (60); S Malone for Gallen (65).
CORK: P Doyle; M Shanley, D O’Mahony, S Meehan; B O’Driscoll, T Walsh (0-1-0), L Fahy (0-1-0); I Maguire (0-0-1), S Walsh; P Walsh, S McDonnell (0-0-1), D Sheedy (0-0-1); M Cronin, C Jones, S Sherlock (0-4-1, 3tpf, one 45).
Subs: C Corbett (0-0-1) for Cronin (49 mins); J O’Driscoll for Meehan (60); C Cahalane for Walsh (65); B Hurley for Jones (65); R Maguire for Fahy (70).
Referee: D Gough (Meath).
