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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Paul Keane

Rory Beggan the hero as Monaghan beat Armagh in thrilling penalty shootout to advance to All-Ireland semi-finals

Monaghan 0-14

Armagh 0-14

AET

Monaghan 9-8 on pens

Rory Beggan was Monaghan's penalty hero as Callum Cumiskey prayed for the Croke Park pitch to open up and swallow him.

A remarkable All-Ireland quarter-final went all the way to penalties with goalkeeper Beggan twice saving from Cumiskey, once in the regular round of penalties and then in sudden death.

It was a dramatic ending to a game that started at 6pm and only ended at 8.40pm with the Ulster rivals level 14 times across the 90 or so minute epic.

READ MORE: Hawk-eye branded 'a total disaster' and 'useless' as it fails during Armagh v Monaghan in All-Ireland quarter-final

Having hit late, late scores to rescue results against Tyrone, Derry and Kildare already in the Championship, it's yet another last gasp success for Monaghan who are through to the last four.

Conor McManus scored four crucial points for Monaghan and converted two penalties while Jack McCarron, Kieran Hughes, Michael Bannigan and Gary Mohan also scored from the spot.

As for Armagh, it's further penalty agony having lost at the same stage, in the same way, in 2022 while they also lost this year's Ulster final on penalties.

In what seemed like an age earlier, Kieran McGeeney's Armagh hit the interval of regular time with a narrow 0-6 to 0-5 lead.

Dangerman Rian O'Neill, back after suspension, had been man-marked by Killian Lavelle but still got free for three of those six first-half Armagh scores.

Armagh’s Rian O'Neill and Killian Lavelle of Monaghan (©INPHO/James Crombie)

Kieran Duffy picked up Murnin in the other key battle close to goal though Murnin escaped his man for two early Armagh points.

Conor McCarthy has been a revelation for Monaghan since his mid-season move to wing-back and was their main attacking outlet initially.

He opened and closed the first-half scoring for the Farney, a week after his late winner in the preliminary quarter-final win over Kildare.

Trailing at half-time was nothing new for Monaghan and, if anything, probably suited them.

They've only led at half-time in one of their seven Championship games this summer but have consistently found a way of coming good in second-halves.

They typically restarted with gusto, hitting three of the first four second-half points.

Mind you, that only put them a point ahead and Armagh wiped out that gap with another Forker score to make it 0-8 apiece.

Monaghan’s Conor McManus celebrates at the final whistle with Sean Jones (©INPHO/James Crombie)

Back and forth they went like that for the remaining 20 minutes with each score by one side immediately cancelled out by a score from the other.

Monaghan thought they may have won it when Bannigan and then substitute McManus pointed to leave them one ahead with 69 minutes played.

But Armagh got lucky when Andrew Murnin got his fist to a long delivery and touched it over the bar, forcing extra-time at 0-12 to 0-12.

There was drama in the dying moments of stoppage time as Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty fed Conor Turbitt who burst goalwards before being hit with a huge shoulder charge from Gary Mohan about 25 metres out.

Referee Conor Lane blew for a throw up and full-time sounded moments later.

With just a point apiece registered in extra-time penalties loomed until O'Neill boomed over a terrific 93rd minute point for Armagh.

Armagh fans in the 57,570 crowd rejoiced but penalties were back on the agenda when McManus fired over the 97th minute equaliser from a free after winning it himself.

McManus held his nerve with two crucial conversions while Cumiskey winced as he ended up being the fall guy for Armagh.

Monaghan: R Beggan; K Lavelle, K Duffy, R Wylie; K O'Connell, C Boyle, C McCarthy (0-3); G Mohan (0-3), D Hughes; S O'Hanlon, M Bannigan (0-2), D Ward; R McAnespie, K Gallagher, J McCarron (0-2, 1f).

Subs: C McManus (0-4, 3f) for Gallagher 40, R O'Toole for Lavelle 53, S Jones for McCarron 56, S Carey for McAnespie 61, K Hughes for Ward 67. C Lennon for Boyle h/t e/t, McCarron for O'Connell 75, O'Connell for O'Hanlon 79.

Armagh: E Rafferty; P Burns, A Forker (0-2), A McKay; C O'Neill, G McCabe, J Og Burns; C Mackin, B Crealey; J Duffy, R Grugan (0-2, 1f), S Campbell; J McElroy, R O'Neill (0-6, 5f), A Murnin (0-3).

Subs: C Turbitt for Crealey 45, C Cumiskey for McCabe 50, J Hall for Duffy 54, R McQuillan (0-1) for Hall 66, S McPartlan for McElroy 69. B McCambridge for Forker 70+4, J Kieran for Burns h/t e/t, O Conaty for Campbell 90.

Ref: C Lane (Cork).

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