Donegal will be disappointed as they squandered a 5 point lead against 14-man Mayo in the opening game of the National League Division 1.
Donegal 0-11 Mayo 0-11
Paddy McBrearty missed a penalty after Stephen Coen was red carded for a foul on Michael Murphy with 20 minutes to go.
Jeaic MacCeallabhuí was black carded just before injury time as both teams finished with 14. Mayo keeper Rob Hennelly scored a free with seconds left to tie the game
Donegal started strong as McBrearty scored a free and Murphy scored from a mark in the first 5 minutes.
Ryan O’Donoghue and Murphy then both scored from frees.
Conor O’Donnell scored with a left footed strike just before Michael Langan made it a 4 point lead.
Odhran McFadden Ferry had a goal chance but Rob Hennelly made a good save to prevent the Gweedore man from scoring.
Murphy played the ball into the square and Michael Langan pushed the ball towards goal but once again Hennelly was equal to the effort.
After the water break Donegal continued their dominance with scores from Ryan McHugh and Langan as Mayo’s Eoghan McLaughlin got the Connacht sides only point of the second quarter just before half-time as Donegal had a 0-7 to 0-2 lead.
Murphy scored again and Eoghan McLaughlin got off the mark for Mayo.
Paddy Durcan got his first point before Langan scored a quality point and Doherty scored twice more as Mayo began to come back into it.
Donegal had a massive chance when Stephen Coen fouled Murphy, with referee awarding a penalty kick and Coen getting a second yellow as Mayo went down to 14 men.
McBrearty however, took the penalty but Hennelly guessed correctly and saved the Kilcar mans left footed strike. Hennelly parried the shot out of play and Murphy scored from the 45.
Langan scored a brilliant point that would turn out to be Donegal’s last scored of the game after 55 minutes in between Doherty and O’Donoghue points for Mayo.
Mayo kept pressing despite Donegal having the man advantage and Paddy Durcan scored a massive point as the Mayo supporters tried to spur the team on.
Doherty was at the heart of everything for Mayo and despite having a goal chance, the Burrishoole man took his point.
O’Donoghue got another point to make it 0-11 to 0-10 to Donegal and Jeaic MacCeallabhuí was black carded as both teams finished the game with 14 men.
Hennelly was the man who got Mayo a point with a free that would be the last kick of the game.
Donegal: Shaun Patton; Caolan Ward, Brendan McCole, Odhran McFadden Ferry, Ryan McHugh (0-01), Paul Brennan, Tony McClenaghan; Caolan McGonagle, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Ciaran Thompson, Peadar Mogan, Michael Langan (0-04), Patrick McBrearty (0-01f), Michael Murphy (0-04,3f), Conor O’Donnell (0-01).
Subs: Jason McGee for Ciaran Thompson (10 mins), Jeaic MacCeallabhuí for Caolan Ward (51 mins), Niall O’Donnell for Conor O’Donnell (57 mins), Ethan O’Donnell for Tony McClenaghan.
Mayo: Rob Hennelly (0-01f); Lee Keegan, Stephen Coen, Padraig O’Hora, Paddy Durcan (0-02), Donnacha McHugh, Eoghan McLaughlin (0-01), Conor O’Shea, Conor Loftus; Fionn McDonagh, Aiden Orme, Diarmuid O’Connor, Tommy Conroy, Jason Doherty (0-03), Ryan O’Donoghue (0-04, 3f).
Subs: Aidan O’Shea and Bryan Walsh for McDonagh and Orme (half-time), Sam Callinan for Donnacha McHugh (48 mins), Jordan Flynn for Conor Loftus (51 mins), Paul Towey for Conor O’Shea (70 mins)
