Allianz Football League Division 1 – Cork 2-15 Armagh 1-12

Cork defeated Armagh by 2-15 to 1-12 in Round 7 of the Allianz Football League Division 1 on Sunday at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Cork 2-15 Armagh 1-12

From the GAA.ie web site

Donncha O’Connor came off the bench to score the two crucial second half goals that propelled Cork into the Allianz Football League Division One final. The Rebels will play Dublin in the League showpiece at the end of the month, while Armagh – who were more concerned with matters at the other end of the table – have survived in the top flight despite their fifth defeat of the campaign. The Orchard County finish just ahead of Galway and Monaghan in the table in sixth place, with their one-point Round 2 win over the Farney County in the end proving crucial.

For Cork, they now have a chance to defend their League title, bouncing back from last week’s defeat in Mayo, a result which meant that Kerry and Down still had a chance to deny them another trip to Croke Park. O’Connor, who was struggling with a groin problem for the last week, was introduced just after the break and finished the game with a personal haul of 2-3. “We’re through to another final and the feeling at the start was that we had to get a win no matter how we got it,” O’Connor said afterwards. “The second half was tough but we got through it in the end are we have to be happy with that.”

Leading by 0-7 to 0-6 after a relatively dull first half in which Daniel Goulding scored six points for the Rebels, Cork made the perfect start to the second half, when O’Connor was fouled by Armagh goalkeeper Paul Hearty and referee Maurice Condon pointed to the penalty spot. O’Connor blasted the ball straight down the middle to give his side a 1-7 to 0-7 lead. That didn’t last long. Armagh showed tremendous fight to go down the other end of the field and equalise through an Aaron Kernan goal. Things got worse for Cork when they were reduced to 14 men when dual star Eoin Cadogan was given a straight red card following an off-the-ball incident involving Stephen McDonnell.

However, the defending champions were not about to relinquish their title without a major battle and they snaffled a second goal, again from the boot of O’Connor, to take control again. O’Connor pounced, swiveling and then finishing neatly, after Paddy Kelly’s shot had hit off a post and rebounded into his path. It proved to be the match-winning score for Cork, who were slightly flattered by the six-point winning margin. For Armagh, it was a case of massive relief that results elsewhere fell their way and afterwards they were able to celebrate staying in the top division despite another defeat.