“A gift from the gods” The reaction to an incredible All-Ireland semi-final between Galway and Clare

What. A. Match.

The whistle has gone at Croke Park and the All Ireland Senior Hurling Semi-Final between Galway and Clare is already being spoken of as an instant classic. In a match as thunderous and chaotic as the weather that greeted it, neither team could be separated even after a thrilling period of extra time, with the final score of Clare 1-30 to Galway 1-30 confirming a replay next Sunday in Thurles. There was a noticeable but brief chorus of boos as the referee blew up for full time, and while it would be cruel to pick a winner here, you can understand the need for relief. The dying seconds were as dramatic as it gets as it appeared that Johnny Coen's late point had done enough for Galway, only for Jason McCarthy to level it up three minutes into added time. Following a Galway barrage in the first 20 minutes, a resurgent Clare got back into things and pushed their opponents to the absolute limit. Man of the Match Peter Duggan looked forward to the replay, even if he did seem a touch exhausted by the experience. "We knew it was going to be a tough semi-final, didn't think it would go to extra time, but in fairness to every one of our lads, we showed incredible heart," he said speaking for the RTÉ cameras after the match. Commentating on McCarthy's last-gasp equaliser, Duggan tried to put things into perspective. "It might look like an easy score, but I can tell you, there's no score out here that's easy." Duggan, earlier, displayed outrageous skill of his own to score a truly exceptional point: https://twitter.com/TheSundayGame/status/1023259377518530560 Henry Shefflin was among those whose jaw was on the floor as the game moved into extra time. https://twitter.com/ShefflinHenry/status/1023261551317463041 "It's one of those ones where if you lose it, you're going to regret it for a very, very long time," noted commentator Ger Canning with just minutes left on the clock. "A gift from the gods," was Anthony Daly's on-point take in the RTÉ studio when all was said and done. The online reaction was at fever pitch, too: https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1023273244474990598 https://twitter.com/edsongsofpraise/status/1023270068464115714 https://twitter.com/newschambers/status/1023272701048365056 https://twitter.com/ElChiefMoore/status/1023272377935966208 https://twitter.com/NiallMcintyre/status/1023273012215201792 https://twitter.com/RorysStories/status/1023261209959849984 https://twitter.com/grainne_seoige/status/1023257078213881856 https://twitter.com/colette_sexton/status/1023263264669618177 https://twitter.com/yosephsheridan/status/1023267271937019905 One for the books, in the end.