We all thought it was over.
Dublin kicked a wide in the 63rd minute of yesterday’s All-Ireland football semi final and RTÉ commentator Darragh Moloney said it “didn’t matter” and we all agreed.
Jim Gavin’s side were seven points up on Mayo and the outcome looked to be a forgone conclusion but Mayo wouldn’t lay down and die.
The inspirational Andy Moran kicked a point just after that Dublin miss and the tide turned green and red as the Connacht champions managed a miraculous recovery.
You might think “miraculous” is a strong word but the phrases around me just before the comeback was “same old Mayo,” “another hard luck story for Mayo,” “this team will never will an All-Ireland.”
That’s how certain the final outcome seemed.
Looks like Dublin have this game won,so it's a Kerry V Dublin final and I reckon Kerry will win,number 38!
— Red Dragon (@MaccabaRed) August 30, 2015
Moran’s point meant it was back to six and Keith Higgins cut the deficit to five shortly afterwards and then a goal chance.
Stephen Cluxton made a bags of a routine clearance, Andy Moran intercepted and got his shot off but it was blocked on the line by Dublin John Small. Surely Mayo’s best chance of getting back into it was gone. No.
They showed resolve after that psychological setback and reduced the gap to four thanks to an Alan Freeman score.
The pivotal moment of the game came in the 68th minute when Mayo’s Colm Boyle went down in the Dublin box. Was it a penalty? Maybe not. Was it given? Yes. Did Mayo fans care? Hell no.
Cillian O’Connor stepped up and bang, back of the net.
They needed one more score to draw level and the man who stepped up was the one that started the comeback – Andy Moran.
Mayo intercepted a Cluxton kick out, worked it into Aidan O’Shea, who passed the ball of O’Connor, who in turn passed it to Moran and he directed it between the posts. The game was level.
Cluxton did have a chance to win it for Dublin but his free drifted wide and then the referee blew the final whistle so the two teams will battle it out on another day.
It should be another cracker on Saturday. We can’t wait to see them do it all over again.
Mooju is the great tasting, fresh flavoured milk made with Avonmore fresh milk, so you know it’s full of good stuff. It comes in delicious tasting Chocolate, Strawberry and new Mint Chocolate flavours and is high in protein, which contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
