10-05-2025
Niall O'Donnell lands dramatic winner as Donegal edge Armagh after extra-time in epic Ulster final
JIM MCGUINNESS hailed his players for finding the answers in another epic Ulster championship.
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Donegal bagged the Anglo-Celt Cup after a Ulster thriller against Armagh
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Niall O'Donnell was the hero for Donegal as they bagged yet another Ulster SFC title
A final for the ages went to extra time for the FOURTH year in a row, as goals from Hugh McFadden and Ciarán Moore proved vital before Niall O'Donnell's extra-time winner.
Every time
And their manager knows they did things the hard way after seeing off Derry, Monaghan and Down before conquering the northern province once more.
He said: 'I know it was epic, but listen, in football it's funny. Some of the greatest moments are just very simple moments.
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'They're not always the bright lights like today. So it's a tricky one to answer that. But I suppose without repeating myself, the Ulster Championship asks questions of you.
'And if you can stand up and answer those questions, you learn a lot more about yourself and about your players. And we've managed to do that again today.
'Had we lost from the position we were in, you know, with 69 minutes on the clock. So there's huge learnings there for us.
"And listen, Armagh, unbelievable team, you know, unbelievable spirit, mentality and ask so many questions of you. But again, our lads were able to respond in key moments.
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'And we have to now take the learnings, and there is going to be a significant amount, take the learnings from the game and see can we apply those now to the group stage and to the All-Ireland Series.'
Donegal fizzed and went seven up twice in normal time - but nearly bottled it as the Orchard refused to wilt, but suffered their third provincial final loss on the bounce.
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Armagh never led in the regular 70 minutes, but outscored their opponents 0-8 to 0-1 in a crucial final 20 to force overtime.
But Donegal refused to let it slip as Moore's 83rd minute goal set up a grandstand finish.
Clones heaved as Ethan Rafferty's two-point free squared it again, before Niall O'Donnell kicked the winner and Donegal ground it out.
Oisin Conaty and Oisín O'Neill starred with 0-6 and 0-7 each, as Ben Crealey dominated the middle and Stefan Campbell fired 0-3 in a super cameo.
Rían O'Neill is back in the Armagh squad in a timely boost, but was not named in the matchday 26 and looked on from the stands.
In a sensational spell at the end of the opening half, Oisín Gallen scored 0-4 and Michael Murphy chipped in to make it 0-14 to 0-7 - as he marked his fairytale return with a SIXTH Ulster crown.
Jim McGuinness' men were cruising, and had already missed goal chances through Michael Langan and Peadar Mogan.
But reigning Young Footballer of the Year Conaty led the drive for the All-Ireland champs to keep them in it.
His 0-3 in the first half kept them in the game and they got back within three in a flash when Shaun Patton lost three-kickouts and Armagh made hay.
Ross McQuillan, Conaty and Oisín O'Neill's two-pointer hauled them back into the game out of nowhere and suddenly it was 0-14 to 0-11.
But McFadden's second half strike was a huge moment. The Killybegs man was in the right place at the right time when Shane O'Donnell fed Conor O'Donnell, and pounced on the loose ball to fire into the roof of the net.
Seconds later, Darragh McMullan somehow fired wide when Armagh broke, and Crealey then hit the post when he was sure he'd scored.
Then the game descended into a brilliant, chaotic spectacle as Ulster finals tend to do. Ryan McHugh and Rory Grugan continued to tussle and cancel each other out, as all hell broke loose around them.
But Armagh ruthlessly reeled Donegal in when Moore sent them seven ahead again.
Conaty, Campbell, Oisín O'Neill and Jason Duffy delivered the goods. Peadar Mogan lost it as Donegal tried to wind down the clock in possession and Conaty held his nerve to force overtime.
Duffy and Jarly Óg Burns steered Armagh ahead for the first time in overtime, and Niall O'Donnell kept Donegal in it before himself and St. Eunan's clubmate Moore won the match.
Ciaran Thompson broke in a sweeping Donegal move and played in Michael Langan, and Moore was there to smash into the top corner.
But with five minutes to go, there was one more twist when Ethan Rafferty converted a two-point free.
Penalties loomed all over again, but O'Donnell had other ideas - and sailed between the posts to keep the Anglo-Celt Cup.
It condemned Kieran McGeeney's men to an All-Ireland series group of death alongside Dublin, Galway and Derry as tempers flared at the whistle before Clones heaved in a sea of green and gold.
ARMAGH 0-28
DONEGAL 2-23
ARMAGH: E Rafferty 0-3, 1tpf, 1 45; P Burns, B McCambridge, A Forker; R McQuillan 0-3, G McCabe, J Óg Burns 0-1; C O'Neill 0-1, B Crealey; D McMullan, R Grugan, O Conaty 0-6; T Kelly, A Murnin 0-1, O O'Neill 0-7, 1tp, 1tpf
Subs: C Turbitt for Kelly 42mins; S Campbell 0-3 for C O'Neill 50, P McGrane for McCabe 55, J Duffy 0-2 for O O'Neill 60, N Grimley for Forker 61, C Mackin for Murnin 71, J Hall for McQuillan (blood) 77, C McConville for Conaty 80, S McPartlan for Grugan 83, T McCormack for McQuillan 88
DONEGAL: S Patton, F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan 0-1; R McHugh, C McGonagle, C Moore 1-1; H McFadden 1-0, M Langan 0-2, D Ó Baoill 0-1, C Thompson 0-4, 2 tp, S O'Donnell; P McBrearty 0-3f, M Murphy 0-3, O Gallen 0-4.
Subs: C O'Donnell 0-1 for McBrearty 43mins; J McGee 0-1 for McFadden 50, J Brennan for Ó Baoill 52, E McHugh for Moore 55, A Doherty for Gallen 65, O McFadden-Ferry for McGee 71, N O'Donnell 0-2 for Brennan 71, Moore for Doherty 71, McBrearty for Murphy 77, Ó Baoill for R McHugh 79, S McMenamin for McCole 83
REFEREE: B Cawley (Kildare)
