Advertisement
James Crombie/INPHO
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Kerry v Donegal, All-Ireland SFC Super 8s

We went minute-by-minute as Kerry and Donegal went head-to-head in the Super 8s.

Good afternoon everyone, you’re welcome along to our minute-by-minute coverage of today’s second Super 8s clash as Kerry take on Donegal at Croke Park.

Both these sides got off to a winning start last weekend, with a win for either county today putting one big foot in the semi-finals of this year’s All-Ireland football championship.

Throw-in is coming up at 4pm.

Sean O'Shea, Paul Geaney and David Clifford James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Declan Bonner

Peter Keane

Throw-in! We’re underway at Croke Park for the first half

Kerry 0-0 Donegal 0-0

There’s a stoppage in play right away as Gavin White has gone down in distress. He is doubled over at the moment looking to be in quite a bit of pain and the medics are on their way to see what’s happened.

Kerry 0-0 Donegal 0-0

Thankfully White is back on his feet after taking a few moments to gather himself and play resumes with Donegal handpassing the ball left and right trying to build an early attack.

Kerry 0-0 Donegal 0-1

Jason McGee slots over the first score of the afternoon. He veers away from his marker and sizes up a long-range effort which travels the distance and flies over the crossbar. Fine point.

Stephen O'Brien and Stephen McMenamin Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-1 Donegal 0-1

Brilliant play from Stephen O’Brien draws the sides level. He dodges bodies left and right, shrugs off the tackle of Stephen McMenamin behind him and fires over on his right boot. All square.

Kerry 0-1 Donegal 0-1

Shane Enright pops a pass to David Clifford, who shoots at goal. The crowd breaks into applause thinking Clifford’s shot had gone over, but it had actually gone wide. An uncharacteristic miss from the young star.

Kerry 0-1 Donegal 0-2

Ryan McHugh is fouled by Paul Murphy and Donegal earn a free right in front of goal. Michael Murphy takes charge and curls a simple shot over the bar. The Donegal skipper is up and running.

Kerry 0-2 Donegal 0-2

Killian Spillane levels proceedings. He peels away down the right channel, composes himself for a moment and fires over. Two points apiece after eight minutes. A fast-paced start.

Paul Murphy and Sean O'Shea tackle Niall O'Donnell James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-2 Donegal 0-2

Massive goal chance for David Clifford thanks to a brilliant pass from Sean O’Shea. Clifford is clean through on goal, but Shaun Patton races from his line and produces a sublime save from point-blank range. Incredible goalkeeping.

Kerry 0-2 Donegal 0-2

Patton’s save results in a Kerry 45, but Sean O’Shea slices his shot the wrong side of the post and wide. A few poor misses by Kerry inside the opening few minutes here.

Kerry 0-2 Donegal 0-3

Niall O’Donnell spins down the other end and puts Donegal ahead for the third time this afternoon. Pinpoint strike down on that righthand side.

Kerry 0-3 Donegal 0-3

Paul Geaney responds with an important score at the other end on his right boot after evading his marker. A good opening spell in this game, scores at both ends spread evenly.

Stephen O'Brien and Stephen McMenamin Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-4 Donegal 0-3

Paddy McBrearty pulls away into space down the right flank but, off-balance, fires his shot wide of Shane Ryan’s goal. A good attack from Donegal but the finish didn’t match. Down the other end David Clifford fires a free straight over — his first score of the game.

Kerry 0-4 Donegal 0-3

There’s a pause in play as Gavin White and Stephen McMenamin appear to have clashed heads. Both men down in quite a bit of pain as the medics come on to try and assess the damage. Two big hits suffered by White already.

Kerry 0-5 Donegal 0-3

Play resumes and Sean O’Shea kicks his first free of the afternoon. Peter Keane’s men lead by two points now as Donegal’s early purple patch wilts in the face of Kerry pressure high up the pitch.

Kerry 0-5 Donegal 0-4

Ryan McHugh cracks a beauty of a score. Michael Murphy did the heavy lifting by grabbing possession and popping a pass across to McHugh. He capped off the flowing move with a pinpoint strike on his right boot.

Patrick McBrearty with Tadhg Morley and Jason Foley James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-6 Donegal 0-4

Stephen O’Brien fires over his second point of the game with precision to reclaim Kerry’s two point lead after 20 minutes.  Odhrán McFadden is shown a yellow card by the referee.

Kerry 0-6 Donegal 0-5

Ryan McHugh sends his second point of the afternoon over the bar. Once again it’s neat combination play between Michael Murphy and McHugh — the skipper finding his team-mate with a quick pass inside from the left before McHugh rounded his marker and fired over.

Kerry 0-6 Donegal 0-6

An early change for Donegal as Jason McGee is brought off injured and replaced by Dara O’Baoill off the bench by Declan Bonner. A few moments later Michael Murphy bursts through and fires a brilliant point over the bar on his weaker boot. All square.

Kerry 0-7 Donegal 0-6

Point for Kerry, but there was a massive goal chance on the cards there. A long ball punted into the box saw Shaun Patton punch clear. But it only fell into the arms of Paul Geaney. He tried to run closer to goal to try and find the back of the net, but his strike flew over the crossbar, instead of under it.

A dejected Kerry fan James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-8 Donegal 0-7

Paddy McBrearty scores his first point. Michael Murphy picks him out with a pinpoint pass which must have travelled 50 metres. Down the other end Paul Geaney pulls away and fires over too.

Kerry 0-9 Donegal 0-7

Sean O’Shea kicks his second score of the game to extend Kerry’s lead to two points. A free from distance which O’Shea was confident he could kick off the floor and over the bar. He does so with ease.

Kerry 0-9 Donegal 0-8

Paddy McBrearty slots a free over the bar on his left boot. It was a good 40 metres out from goal and he makes no mistake. An assured kick and it’s a one-point game again with just a handful of minutes to go before the interval.

Kerry 0-9 Donegal 0-9

BLACK CARD! Gavin White is penalised for dragging out of Ryan McHugh and is shown a black card by the referee. A few moments later Paddy McBrearty fires over a sublime score from distance to level.

Gavin White dejected James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-9 Donegal 0-9

Gavin White is replaced by Jonathan Lyne for that black card. The board shows there will be two minutes of stoppage time to come.

Kerry 0-9 Donegal 0-9

BLACK CARD! Niall O’Donnell is also shown a black card for sticking out his foot and tripping Paul Murphy. A black card for each county in the space of a few minutes at the end of the first half.

Kerry 0-10 Donegal 0-9

Oisín Gallon, who scored a brilliant goal against Meath last weekend, is on to replace Niall O’Donnell for that black card. A few moments later Sean O’Shea slots another free over to put Kerry ahead going into the break.

HALF-TIME: Kerry 0-10 Donegal 0-9

A fairly manic opening 35 minutes at Croke Park sees the Kingdom head into the interval one point ahead.

Both sides have been at it hammer & tongs at a frantic pace. There’s been brilliant scores, goal chances, multiple injuries and a black card each.

A throughly eventful opening period, with the sides fairly evenly-matched in this Super 8s clash.

More action to come shortly!

Second-half: We’re back underway for another 35 minutes!

Kerry 0-11 Donegal 0-10

Michael Langan gets the opening point of the second half 50 seconds in. Michael Murphy pings a 70 yard pass which opens up space. Langan takes possession and fires a powerful drive between the posts. Down the other end David Clifford clips over a score of his own.

Kerry 0-11 Donegal 0-11

Michael Murphy kicks his third score of the afternoon, a fine free from 50 yards out off the ground which sails high and over Shane Ryan’s head. All level again, finely balanced.

Ryan McHugh James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 0-11 Donegal 0-11

There’s panic inside the Donegal box as Kerry supporters call for a potential penalty. David Clifford clipped a brilliant high pass towards Paul Geaney, who went down under a challenge. But the referee waves play on as Stephen McMenamin races away with possession in hand.

Kerry 0-11 Donegal 0-12

Donegal are ahead. It’s a great big kick from Michael Murphy, another free from the captain which flies high and over. Murphy has been in inspiring form again today. What a leader.

Kerry 1-11 Donegal 0-12

GOAL! A precise low finish from Paul Geaney sees Kerry regain the lead. Jack Sherwood had come on to replace Diarmuid O’Connor and got a few early touches to help Kerry get forward. The ball fell the way of Geaney, he raced into space, and planted a fine finish into the bottom corner past Shaun Patton.

Kerry 1-12 Donegal 0-13

Superb score from 19-year-old Oisin Gallen from close range. Down the other end Tom O’Sullivan ventures forward and slices a crucial score over for Kerry. Absolutely end-to-end stuff.

Kerry 1-12 Donegal 0-14

Free from Paddy McBrearty lands over the crossbar. It was a tricky angle down along the right flank, but McBrearty makes no mistake. One-point game now.

Kerry 1-13 Donegal 0-14

Killian Spillane spins inside and beats his man with some quick footwork. He drops his shoulder and sizes up a shot, before finding the target with a curled effort.

Kerry 1-13 Donegal 0-14

PENALTY! Donegal are awarded a penalty after Stephen O’Brien hauled down Dara O’Baoill inside the area with a heavy-handed challenge. Big chance for Declan Bonner’s men now. This is relentless stuff.

Adrian Spillane and Hugh McFadden James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 1-13 Donegal 1-14

GOAL! Michael Murphy makes no mistake and slots his penalty into the bottom corner past Shane Ryan, who dived the right way. All of a sudden Donegal now lead by a point. Wow!

Kerry 1-13 Donegal 1-14

Donegal have the ball in the back of the Kerry net again… but it won’t count. Frank McFlynn appeared to catch the ball before throwing it into the back of the net as Kerry were at sixes and sevens all over the place. The referee calls for a free out and Kerry breath a huge sigh o relief.

Kerry 1-13 Donegal 1-14

Sean O’Shea and Paul Brennan are both shown yellow cards. 15 minutes remaining at Croke Park and you have to say this has been a real thriller. Both sides going at it like their lives depend on it. Who’s going to come out on top?

Kerry 1-13 Donegal 1-14

Paul Geaney finds time and space down the right and opts for a shot, but his effort drops short and into the arms of Shaun Patton. A poor miss at this late stage in the game. Every single chance is going to count with these fine margins.

Michael Murphy and Shane Enright James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 1-14 Donegal 1-14

David Clifford pops a clever handpass back towards Sean O’Shea, who is unmarked and untracked. He gathers his composure and finds the target with a neat point which draws the scores level again. 1-14 apiece.

Kerry 1-14 Donegal 1-15

Michael Murphy with the perfect response down the other end. Ryan McHugh buzzes left and right before meeting the run of Murphy, who was bursting through at speed. He takes the ball in his stride and finds the target.

Kerry 1-15 Donegal 1-15

Killian Spillane gets the ball on the byline, cuts inside, spins a little bit onto his left boot and fires over the bar. It’s tit-for-tat out there at the moment. What a game. Nine minutes to go.

Kerry 1-15 Donegal 1-16

Graham O’Sullivan replaces Gavin Crowley for Kerry. For Donegal, Paddy McBrearty knocks another free over the bar. It’s his fifth point of the game and his side lead yet again.

Gavin White dejected after being black carded James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 1-16 Donegal 1-16

Stephen O’Brien provides the response. He peels away from Dara O’Baoill and curls over the bar. This is the 11th time these sides have been level so far this afternoon. Breathtaking stuff between two footballing heavyweights.

Kerry 1-17 Donegal 1-16

Paul Brennan with the chance to regain the lead, but he misses the target. It’s Donegal’s first wide of the second half. Could it prove costly? Well, Kerry fly down the other end in response and David Clifford fires over. The Kingdom lead.

Kerry 1-17 Donegal 1-17

Michael Langan levels. He receives a handpass from Michael Murphy on the edge of the area and Langan makes no mistake, firing a powerful driving strike high up into the air and over the bar. Nothing to separate these sides.

Kerry 1-18 Donegal 1-17

Jason Foley latches onto the ball following a great run from Jack Sherwood. Foley looks like he might have a go at goal with only Shaun Patton in his way, but he fists the ball over the bar to take the lead. A minute or normal time to go.

Gavin White and Michael Murphy Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 1-18 Donegal 1-17

Donegal fly down the other end and Paul Brennan has the chance to level, but he loses his balance and shoots well wide of the target. He had better options on there, Brennan.

Kerry 1-18 Donegal 1-19

Donegal lead! Oisin Gallen kicks his side level, before Donegal win the resulting kick-out via Ryan McHugh, who feeds the ball onto Michael Murphy and the captain kicks over the bar. Two quick-fire scores.

Kerry 1-19 Donegal 1-19

We’re level again! This game is absolutely relentless and neither side will give an inch. Just when Donegal looked like they had this game in their grasp, Paul Geaney digs deep and points. He’s scored 1-4 with an incredible performance.

Kerry 1-20 Donegal 1-19

Kerry ahead! Paul Murphy kicks over the bar. Stephen O’Brien had been fouled in the build-up, but the referee played advantage and the score counts as Murphy grabs the ball in front of goal and kicks a crucial point.

Paul Geaney and Caolan Ward Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry 1-20 Donegal 1-19

RED CARD! Tomas O’Sé is sent off for Kerry just moments after being brought on off the bench as a late substitute. He must have only been on the pitch a minute. The drama is non-stop.

Kerry 1-20 Donegal 1-20

Donegal level! Michael Murphy with a late, late free which flies over the bar and draws a deafening roar from the travelling Donegal supporters. That could be the last kick of the game and the sides are all square.

FULL-TIME: Kerry 1-20 Donegal 1-20

It’s all over! The referee blows his whistle and Michael Murphy’s last-gasp free is the final kick of the game as the sides draw level for what feels like the millionth time this afternoon.

It was a thriller of a game, with neither Kerry nor Donegal willing to give an inch in a tit-for-tat affair which had incredible scores, goals, goals disallowed, black cards, red cards and just about everything in-between.

Thanks a million for joining us this evening — cya soon!

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!

Your Voice
Readers Comments
27
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel