All-Ireland SFC: Dublin advance after epic

All-Ireland senior football championship Round 3

Dublin 2-26 Donegal 2-22

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

You write this Dublin team off at your peril.

Sure, things didn't look too hot for the 2023 All-Ireland winners after suffering back-to-back Championship defeats to Leinster colleagues Westmeath and Louth but they've come roaring right back to take their place in the last eight.

In the process, they have blown the Sam Maguire Cup race wide open with Donegal, many people's favourites at the start of the weekend, now out.

Led by Colm Basquel, who scored 0-7 on his first start for Dublin in over a year, and captain Con O'Callaghan, as well as goalscorer Paddy Small, Ciarán Kilkenny and substitute Seán Guiden, Ger Brennan's side came out on top after a marathon extra time encounter.

Having defeated Cavan in Round 2B, this was a step up again for the Sky Blues in front of 32,220 but they turned in their biggest performance of the Brennan era to take their place in Monday morning's draw for the quarter-finals.

Their potential opponents are Cork, Galway or Tyrone next weekend, back at Croke Park, and if they can bring the same fire and brimstone on that occasion, they'll fancy their chances.

Dublin may feel they should have won it in normal time as Donegal came from three points down to force extra time at 2-18 apiece, Michael Murphy nailing a two-pointer from a free after the buzzer.

But with Guiden in terrific form, striking four points in a row at one stage, Dublin jumped onto the front foot when play resumed and never really looked like being reeled in.

Dublin approached the game off a win over Cavan, compared to Donegal's shock Round 2A loss to Cork, and the hosts were further boosted by the availability of Basquel.

The former All-Star hadn't started a game since lining out against Armagh in early June, 2025, and missed this year's entire National League campaign, due to injury.

The Ballyboden man was immediately influential, sniping back-to-back points in the opening quarter to tie the game up at 0-4 apiece.

Donegal enjoyed a brief period of dominance after that, reeling off 1-2 in the space of two minutes.

The goal came from the boot of Shea Malone, a late addition to the lineup in place of Oisín Gallen, though Dublin kicked themselves for gifting the opportunity.

Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford, short on options, tried to thread a kick-out to a blue jersey but Max Campbell intercepted and played in Malone who, while pushed onto his left by Nathan Doran, still got a powerful shot away to the roof of Comerford's net.

Moments later, Donegal were through on goal again, Michael Murphy this time with the ball but he too ran out of options around him and fired over.

Suddenly, Donegal were 1-6 to 0-4 ahead and wrestled back control of the game.

But it didn't stay that way for long as Dublin continued to probe for scores off their fast attacks.

Comerford nailed a couple of brilliant long kick-outs, like the one in the 26th minute that found Doran out on the left wing and ended in Cormac Costello tapping over.

And with 31 minutes on the clock, Dublin got a big slice of luck when Donegal goalkeeper Gavin Mulreany this time malfunctioned with his kick out.

He tried a short one to the number position but Paddy Small got there first, fed O'Callaghan and the net was soon bulging after a tidy low finish.

That left Dublin 1-8 to 1-7 ahead and the teams looked set to break for half time on that scoreline before Mogan pounced for a goal that gave Donegal a massive lift.

Mogan initially rose up at midfield to flick on a Mulreany kick-out and then darted forward to get on the end of the move at the Hill 16 End, finishing adroitly.

Now with a 2-7 to 1-8 lead, and the wind behind them for the second half, things looked a whole lot healthier for Donegal.

Ryan McHugh and Oisín Gallen came on to lend to their fight too and they opened up a three-point lead when McHugh pointed in the 45th minute, 2-10 to 1-10.

But Dublin were the better team in the closing 25 or so minutes and had more than enough possession to win the game - which they almost did.

They responded to falling three behind by tying the game up with points from Kilkenny, Costello and O'Callaghan.

And so a blood and thunder epic played out with Dublin surging two clear when O'Callaghan slipped in Small for their second goal in the 67th minute. Lee Gannon fisted a single in the 69th minute to leave three in it.

Surely Donegal couldn't come back from that? They did, of course, Michael Langan cutting the gap to two before Michael Murphy nailed a two-pointer from a free - Ross McGarry initially touched the ball on the ground and then didn't hand the ball back so the free was brought up to the edge of the arc - to level it at 2-18 apiece and necessitate extra-time.

There was a skirmish after Murphy scored, leading to black cards for Donegal duo Murphy and McGee, as well as Dublin's Theo Clancy and Niall Scully, which ruled them out of the first half of extra time.

Dublin, with the wind behind them, scored the first five points of extra time, three of those coming from substitute Guiden. They could have gone eight clear but Charlie McMorrow hit the post after a solo run and Donegal finished the half with a two-pointer from Mulreany. Worse still for Dublin, they lost O'Callaghan to an apparent hamstring tweak.

Even with a 2-23 to 2-20 lead, Dublin faced a challenge to hold onto it without their talisman and playing into the wind. But they won the second half of extra time too thanks to points from Basquel and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne.

Dublin scorers: Con O'Callaghan 1-5 (1 tp, 0-1 45), Colm Basquel 0-7 (1 tp, 0-1f), Paddy Small 1-2, Seán Guiden 0-4 (1 tp), Cormac Costello 0-2 (0-1f), Ross McGarry 0-2, Brian Howard 0-1, Ciarán Kilkenny 0-1, Lee Gannon 0-1, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne 0-1.

Donegal scorers: Peadar Mogan 1-1, Michael Langan 0-4, Michael Murphy 0-4 (1 tpf, 0-1f), Shea Malone 1-0, Jason McGee 0-3 (tp), Ryan McHugh 0-3, Gavin Mulreany 0-2 (tpf), Shane O'Donnell 0-2 (tp), Eoghan Ban Gallagher 0-1, Conor O'Donnell 0-1, Finbarr Roarty 0-1.

Dublin: Evan Comerford; David Byrne, Nathan Doran, Seán MacMahon; Theo Clancy, Charlie McMorrow, Lee Gannon; Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Brian Howard; Niall Scully, Colm Basquel, Ciarán Kilkenny; Paddy Small, Con O'Callaghan, Cormac Costello.

Subs: Eoin Kennedy for Doran 29, Ross McGarry for Costello 54, Seán Guiden for Small 67. Seán Bugler for Gannon 75, Tim Deering for O'Callaghan 78, Josh Bannon for MacMahon 85.

Donegal: Gavin Mulreany; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Finbarr Roarty, Caolán McGonagle, Ciarán Moore; Jason McGee, Michael Langan; Max Campbell, Hugh McFadden, Michael Murphy; Conor O'Donnell, Shane O'Donnell, Shea Malone.

Subs: Ryan McHugh for Campbell h/t, Oisín Gallen for Malone h/t, Ciarán Thompson for Conor O'Donnell 63, Seán Martin for McFadden 65. Conor O'Donnell for Thompson e/t, Max Campbell for Roarty e/t, Daire Ó Baoill for Martin e/t. Roarty for Moore h/t e/t, Malone for Conor O'Donnell h/t e/t, Thompson for Gallen 87.

Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).