Donegal were just about edged out in MacHale Park on Sunday as Mayo set up an NFL decider meeting with Kerry.
Two adrift with five to go, Donegal missed a penalty as Daire Ó Baoill was denied from the spot. Hugh McFadden would also crack the woodwork before the end in a hectic finale in Castlebar.
Mayo 1-18 Donegal 1-16
The big concern for Jim McGuinness though at the weekend was the sight of Caolan McGonagle being helped from the field after a heavy knock grounded the Buncrana man on the stroke of half-time.
Mayo had fired off 1-5 on the trot to lead 1-7 to 0-6 at the changeover but Donegal upped the ante on the restart.
Back at the outset, Mayo opened the scoring inside the first minute as Jack Carney got inside Caolan McColgan on the right-hand side.
Donegal soon squared it up with a Gavin Mulreany ‘45 while the visitors were in front on six minutes through Ciaran Thompson.
Another Donegal turnover then yielded another Donegal point as Niall O’Donnell widened the gap further.
Mayo halved the deficit on the quarter-hour mark as Stephen Coen was allowed to progress through the middle and easily clip over.
McColgan then made serious yards down the left flank and when Mayo finally looked to close him down, Luke McGlynn came off the shoulder to once again make it a two-point game at 0-4 to 0-2.
Things got even better for Donegal as Ó Baoill stepped up with one of those now trademark swings from distance as the game’s first two-pointer was landed.
Just as Donegal looked like they were about to twist the knife, another Ó Baoill effort from out the park came back off the upright and Mayo countered.
Still, Stephen McMenamin seemed to do everything right with what looked like a legitimate disposal on Aidan O’Shea.
But with a free awarded, the Mayo attacker quickly toe-tapped and his offload to Ryan O’Donaghue was worked across to Carney to hammer to the net.
With the momentum changing hands, Carney and Frank Irwin posted successive overs as Mayo went ahead once more at 1-4 to 0-6.
Things got even better for Mayo nine minutes out from the break as O’Donaghue clipped over a free.
With Donegal now the side coughing up cheap turnovers, Irwin notched his second as Mayo made it 1-4 without reply.
And just on the hooter, Carney launched over a real beauty from the tightest of angles as Kevin McStay’s side eventually departed four to the good at the changeover.
To compound the visitors’ misery, McGonagle shipped a heavy knock in the lead-up to that last concession and had to be helped from the field at half-time.
One of four interval replacements, Michael Langan made an instant impression as he got the scoring back underway. But quick as a flash, Coen went up the other end to again put four in it.
A driving run from Ó Baoill prised open the Mayo defence and with the Gaoth Dobhair man shifting the ball at just the right time, another substitute, this time Eoin McHugh, rattled the net.
With Langan breaking the subsequent kickout, Finnbarr Roarty also found himself baring down on goal but the Naomh Conaill youngster blazed over as matters were squared up.
O’Donaghue stemmed the tide for Mayo though with a fine two-pointer and with Jordan Flynn following that up, Mayo were out to a 1-11 to 1-8 lead.
O’Donaghue then landed his second two-pointer as the gap again reached five but Thompson and O’Donnell found back-to-back responses for Donegal.
A brilliant fetch above his own crossbar by Hugh McFadden eventually provided the launchpad for another one of those half-time changes, Aaron Doherty, to sever matters back to the minimum.
And with Donegal pressing up on Mayo, another breaking ball won around the middle third allowed Shane O’Donnell to level it up at 1-13 apiece on 51 minutes.
Mayo intervened up the other side as Irwin fisted over, coming in off the end line before Shane O’Donnell grabbed his second to level it once again.
Langan and Paul Towey traded overs before another Mayo two-pointer, this time from Matthew Ruane, nudged the hosts 1-17 to 1-15 in front, with seven minutes to go.
On the run, Ó Baoill put Doherty in over the top and with Donnacha McHugh upending the Naomh Columba man inside the square, a penalty was awarded.
Up stepped Ó Baoill but his effort was tame enough and Colm Reape easily smothered.
McFadden then smacked the crossbar with a ferocious effort before Aaron Doherty managed to half the gap two minutes out from the end.
But with O’Donaghue getting in immediately after, Mayo held on for the win and, with the points, fell into a league decider.
Mayo scorers: Jack Carney 1-3; Stephen Coen 0-2; Frank Irwin 0-3; Ryan O’Donaghue 0-6,1f; 2tp; Jordan Flynn 0-1; Paul Towey 0-1; Matthew Ruane 0-2,1tp
Donegal scorers: Eoin McHugh 1-0; Daire Ó Baoill 0-2,1tp; Gavin Mulreany (0-1,1’45), Ciaran Thomspon 0-2; Niall O’Donnell 0-1; Luke McGlynn 0-1; Michael Langan 0-2; Conor O’Donnell 0-2; Finnbarr Roarty 0-1; Aaron Doherty 0-2; Shane O’Donnell 0-2;
Mayo: Colm Reape; Conal Dawson, Donnacha McHugh, Enda Hession; Sam Callinan, David McBrien, Fenton Kelly; Stephen Coen, Matthew Ruane; Jack Carney, Darren McHale, Jordan Flynn; Aiden O’Shea, Frank Irwin, Ryan O’Donoghue.
Subs: Paul Towey for A O’Shea (53); Eoghan McLaughlin for F Kelly (61), Fergal Boland for Irwin (65), David O’Connor for Flynn (69).
Donegal: Gavin Mulreany; Finnbarr Roarty, Stephen McMenamin, Brendan McCole; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Caolan McColgan; Hugh McFadden, Ciaran Moore; Daire Ó Baoill, Ciaran Thompson, Shane O’Donnell; Niall O’Donnell, Conor O’Donnell, Luke McGlynn.
Subs: Mark Curran, Michael Langan, Aaron Doherty and Eoin McHugh for McGlynn, McColgan, N O’Donnell and McGonagle (all ht); Caolan Ward for McCole (61)
Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).
