Tyrone overcome Dublin to reach the last four

In the Saturday All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final, Tyrone held their resolve to defeat Dublin 0-23 to 0-16.

In a game in which both teams struggled with shooting, Malachy O’Rourke’s Red Hands won the game for the first time since the 2021 All-Ireland final.

Both sides put everything into what turned out to be a bloody battle, but Dublin’s failure to take their chances once more came back when they missed as many chances as they scored.

In the first 35 minutes, they would benefit from their long-range shooting with the breeze at their backs, so a two-pointer from a Kieran McGeary free would be the start of things to come.

It was Peter Teague’s turn to split the posts from outside the arc after Stephen Cluxton responded from a 45 that came after Cormac Costello saved with a fingertip.

Early on, Dublin struggled with their shooting because shots were diverted short or strewn, but Costello, who was not one of the guilty parties, landed from both free and play.

Peter Harte scored a two as a result of Tyrone’s long-range ability, but Brian O’Leary, a late addition to the Dublin team in place of Lorcan O’Dell, kicked his first score in county colors and was so impressed that he was sent back for another score, bringing the score to 0-6 at halftime.

Before Niall Scully gave Dublin the lead for the first time, only for Tyrone to regain the lead through a second two-pointer from Harte, it was nip and tuck heading into the break. Darragh Canavan and Costello traded scores before the pair exchanged scores.

In the 42nd minute, Dublin’s Cormac Costello tapped a gilt-edged goal chance past the post, and both teams snagged some respectable scoring opportunities in the opening period.

Mistakes were starting to dominate as the greasy conditions started to add to the problem, but Paddy Small’s fifth and final goal was scored with a Dublin point, but Canavan had to nudge Tyrone ahead right away to make the most of the situation.

The lead remained open until Con O’Callaghan, who had been playing for the Dublin bench for the final 20 minutes, made an immediate impact with a score as Ciaran Daly and Niall Devlin scored.

Tyrone always had an answer with Ciaran Daly responding, even though Ciaran Kilkenny narrowed the gap to one.

In the 59th minute, Dublin had a chance of scoring again thanks to Paddy Small, who read the danger and passed Costello in front of the lingering Costello. Luke Breathnach chose to square instead of fisting over.

Both teams committed poor misses, but Dublin was even more so as a result, with 10 shots past the post and six into Morgan’s hands being a major factor in their failure. However, the gap only extended to the final five minutes when Tyrone broke for home as a substitute Ruairi Canavan set up a six-point run that included a two-point free from Morgan at the death to propel Malachy O’Rourke’s men into the final four.

Dublin: S Cluxton (0-1, 1×45), E Murchan, D Byrne, S MacMahon, B Howard, J Small, L Gannon, P O’Cofaigh-Byrne (0-1), K McGinnis, S Bugler, C Kilkenny (0-1), N Scully (0-1), P Small (0-2), C Costello (0-6, 2f), B O’Leary (0-2).

Subs: C Murphy for K McGinnis (44), C O’Callaghan (0-1) for B O’Leary (50), L Breathnach (0-1) for N Scully (57, head injury), T Lahiff for P O’Cofaigh-Byrne (59), R McGarry for S Bugler (65), T Clancy for E Murchan (68)

Tyrone: N Morgan (0-3, 1x2pf, 1×45), C Quinn, P Hampsey, N Devlin (0-1), P Teague (0-2, 1x2p), R Brennan, K McGeary (0-2, 1x2pf), B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick, S O’Donnell, M Donnelly, C Daly (0-2), D McCurry (0-2, 1f), P Harte (0-4, 2x2p), D Canavan (0-3).

Subs: B McDonnell for R Brennan (44), E McElholm (0-1) for D McCurry (52), A Clarke for C Quinn (56), C Meyler for P Teague (59, head injury), R Canavan (0-2) for P Harte (63), M O’Neill for K McGeary (68)