Relentless Mayo destroy Donegal

GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final: Mayo 4-17 Donegal 1-10

Mayo cruised into the semi-finals of the Championship with an incredible 16-point defeat of All-Ireland champions Donegal at Croke Park this afternoon.

Mayo led by 2-10 to 0-4 at the break and crushed Jim McGuinness's tired-looking side in the second half to record one of the most comprehensive and impressive victories in the recent history of the All-Ireland series.

Donegal looked a pale shadow of the team that won the All-Ireland title last year, conceding two goals in the opening 14 minutes - Cillian O'Connor and Donal Vaughan doing the damage - and then shipped another two at the start of the second half as Mayo flexed their muscles with a real swagger.

O'Connor, the Young Footballer of the Year, hit a hat-trick of goals for the second game running - he scored three goals off the bench in the Connacht final against London - but the real story of the game was Donegal's total systems failure.

The final 20 minutes were played out in a surreal atmosphere as Croke Park emptied with the result beyond any doubt when O'Connor slammed home the Westerners' fourth goal in the 43rd minute after Paul Durcan had saved well from Andy Moran.

Donegal's miserable day was summed up when Éamonn McGee was sent off and then Leo McLoone blasted wide when he was presented with an open goal just three minutes from the end. In the end, they did pull back a goal when Colm McFadden blasted a free to the back of the Mayo net in added time.

Mayo had 13 different scorers on the day, but they will be disappointed that they lost man of the match Aidan O'Shea to a second yellow card right at the death. They face Tyrone in the semi-final, and based on this display will have little to fear from the Red Hands.

Scorers for Donegal: M Murphy 0-5 (0-4f), C McFadden 1-0 (1-0 f) M McHugh 0-2, David Walsh 0-1, M McHugh 0-1, K Lacey 0-1.

Scorers for Mayo: C O'Connor 3-4 (0-2f, 0-1 45), D Vaughan 1-0, A Dillon 0-2, A Freeman 0-2, C Boyle 0-1, A Moran 0-1, K McLoughlin 0-1, C Boyle 0-1, L Keegan 0-1, S O'Shea 0-1, K Keane 0-1, E Varley 0-1, C Barrett 0-1, R Feeney 0-1.

Donegal: P Durcan, P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee, F McGlynn, K Lacey, A Thompson, N Gallagher, R Kavanagh, R Bradley, R McHugh, David Walsh, P McBrearty, M Murphy, C McFadden. Subs: K Lacey for A Thompson (23), D Walsh for R Bradley (HT), M McIlhinney for N McGee (HT), L McLoone for R Kavanagh (44), M Boyle for P McGrath (60).

Mayo: R Hennelly, T Cunniffe, G Cafferkey, K Higgins, L Keegan, D Vaughan, C Boyle, A O'Shea, S O'Shea; K McLoughlin, R Feeney, A Dillon; C O'Connor, A Freeman, A Moran. Subs: C Carolan for T Cunniffe (27), R Feeney for A Dillon (47), E Varley for A Moran (49), D Coen for C O'Connor (54), K Keane for C Boyle (58).