All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Group Two, round three: Armagh 0-16 Galway 1-12
From Andy Watters at Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada
THE HEAVENS opened shortly after the finish and it was Armagh who brought the thunder to county Leitrim and they progressed to the All-Ireland quarter-finals with a brilliant performance.
The Orchard county fans who stayed at home will have cursed their luck at missing a breathless battle which Armagh won to unexpectedly top their group after Tyrone were held to a draw by Westmeath.
Will it be a turning point for a side that has lost so many of these thrillers? Perhaps. Armagh trailed by two points at the break but a neversaydie second half from Kieran McGeeney’s side meant they shaded a game that was level 11 times.
The lead had changed hands again and again until Rory Grugan edged the Orchard county into a one-point lead in injury-time. Galway carved out a final chance (after the three allotted minutes had elapsed) to equalise but Shane Walsh mishit his shot and jubilant Armagh supporters invaded the field.
It was Grugan who had opened the scoring with a wind-assisted point after three minutes of an enthralling game in which Armagh threw off the shackles, pressing kickouts and working like demons.
Peter Cooke found a pocket of space to equalise before Conor Turbitt sent Armagh ahead again.
Cillian McDaid left three Armagh defenders on the deck behind when he burst through to level and then Walsh and Andrew Murnin swapped points in quick succession.
Aidan Forker was given too much room on the left and he capitalised with a brilliant score as Armagh regained the advantage but again Galway replied, with a Walsh free, to leave it 0-4 apiece after 23 minutes.
The game suddenly went up a couple of gears. Galway’s measured build-up allowed Sean Kelly to push upfield and when McQuaid picked him out he went straight at goal. A combination of Forker and Grugan pulled him down and referee McQuillan awarded a straightforward penalty. Walsh took it but Rafferty saved comfortably diving to his left.
Armagh countered and Duffy’s persistence earned them a free which Turbitt curled over but Rafferty’s save was only a temporary respite. Once again Kelly got forward unmarked and this time stuck the ball in the net himself.
Campbell burst through to pull one back, MacDaid replied but Galway needed Kelly to bail them out again after Campbell burst down the left. He fisted the ball across the goal but Kelly the Galway skipper got fingertips to his pass and Galway scrambled the ball away and held their 1-5 to 0-6 lead at the break.
A shower of rain made the surface greasy for the second half. The ball was greasy too but Murnin’s hands were safe and he caught a long ball and scored a mark in the opening seconds and then a Turbitt free levelled it again.
Grugan, finding space in the middle of the field, pulled the strings and Campbell sent Armagh ahead before Walsh’s free sneaked in off the post and it was all-square again.
Tierney caught, kicked and turned away happy as Galway regained moved one-up.
The game was frenetic and the action was wild and free as it swung form end to end. Ben Crealey caught a couple of great balls in midfield, Forker, McCabe and McKay all put their bodies on the line, Grugan and Turbitt scored from Armagh, Walsh replied, Duffy answered and then Cooke scored a beauty and it was all-square 1-9 to 0-12 after 51 minutes.
Rafferty, Grugan and Forker shot wide for Armagh who were absolutely all-in and a Walsh free earned Galway the lead.
Grugan equalised (via the fingertips of Galway goalkeeper Gleeson) and his free meant Armagh led 0-14 to 1-10 with seven minutes to go. Kelly got forward again to restore parity and a Tierney score meant the lead changed hands once again.
It didn’t last long. Forker popped up to score his second of the game as chants of “Armagh, Armagh, Armagh…” broke out.
Paul Conroy blazed a mark wide in the first minute of injury-time and then Cooke’s pass back zipped up off the wet turf and over O Currain’s head.
Murnin grabbed the ball and drove at the Galway posts. He was brought down and Grugan curled over the free. The Armagh fans roared, they thought they’d won it but there was still time and Cian Hernon and Campbell collided as Galway pushed for one final shot.
It seemed that Campbell’s crime was standing his ground but referee Cassidy awarded a free.
Walsh took the ball. The angle was tight, time was up… His shot was wild and Armagh survived to claim a win that could turn their season around.
Armagh: E Rafferty; P Burns, C Higgins, A Forker (0-2); G McCabe, A McKay, C O’Neill; Ciaran Mackin, B Crealey; J Duffy (0-1), R Grugan (0-4, 0-2 frees), C Cumiskey; C Turbitt (0-3, 0-1 free), A Murnin (0-2, 0-1 mark), S Campbell (0-2)
Temporary sub: J Kieran for C O’Neill (14-20)
Subs: J Burns for Cumiskey (47), R McQuillan for McCabe (52), J McElroy for Duffy (70)
Yellow cards: Rafferty (32), McCabe (33), Campbell (73)
Galway: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Kelly (1-1), J Glynn; B Mannion, J Daly, C Hernon; P Conroy, C McDaid (0-2); M Tierney (0-2), J Heaney, P Cooke (0-2); I Burke, C Sweeney, S Walsh (0-5, 0-3 frees)
Subs: J Maher for Mannion (52), R Finnerty for Heaney (58), C O Curraoin for McDaid (58)
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)
