Mayo caught dead by Dublin punch

ALL-IRELAND SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 3

May 0-17

Dublin 0-17

Roscommon

So many things are good – some things are not good! To make history, to win big matches, mistakes must be reduced to a minimum and naivety completely eradicated. Mayo produced his best performance in years at Hyde Park today, but in the dying seconds he showed a naivety that cost him a direct ticket to the All-Ireland quarter-final.

Ryan O’Donoghue kicked Mayo in front with 40 seconds remaining. However, Dublin were allowed to win the kick-off and drive the length of the pitch without a hand being laid on them for Cormac Costello to equalise. Sneakier teams could have stopped Dulin’s men from advancing at this stage – like Dublin’s men themselves. have practiced with great success over the years.

Mayo will now take their place in tomorrow morning’s preliminary quarter-final draw and face Cork, Louth or Monaghan in Castlebar next weekend.

The first half was a story of chances created, chances taken and chances missed. Mayo went into the locker room a point behind, 0-6 to 0-7, but it could and should have been so different. Stephen Coen’s goal effort flew over the bar, Ryan O’Donoghue’s goal effort was blocked and two shots fell into the arms of Stephen Cluxton.

That said, Mayo did a lot of things right. They gave up no scoring chances, harried and harassed the Dublin men and Tommy Conroy’s direct running caused countless problems for the Leinster team. However, Dublin seemed to be getting their scores much easier and there was a feeling that they were just biding their time before breaking away with their legendary third quarter surge.

However, Mayo refused to let them out of their grip.

When Conor Loftus scored a point after 45 minutes, the teams were level, 0-10 each, and that seesaw pattern remained until the finish. Dublin would push forward, then Mayo would respond. Eoin Murchan’s goal effort hit the crossbar and flew over after 59 minutes and Paul Mannion pushed Dublin two ahead down the stretch as he and Jack McCaffrey made a big impression coming off the bench.

Mayo substitute Diarmuid O’Connor found O’Donoghue for a superb long-range point shortly afterwards and when Colm Reape stepped forward to level the scores after a ’45 at the end of normal time, the three more minutes promised great excitement and so it happened.

David McBrien won a ball from Mannion in front of the Mayo posts and initiated a move which ended with O’Donoghue being fouled 35 yards from the Dublin posts.

The Belmullet man nervelessly sent the ball flying between the sticks and the roof rose off the stand with Mayo’s roar. The green and red were a point ahead, heading for victory and a place in the quarter-final, but Dublin won the kick-off, ran through the middle and Costello equalized.

There are so many good things – a few things that are wrong. Dublin are in the quarter-finals – Mayo are heading into games week in week out. It should have been different.