WATCH: Armagh remain at home after Donegal late equalizer
Armagh and Donegal played out a tense 1-9 to 0-12 draw in the Allianz Football League Division Two summit clash at the Athletic Ground.
Andrew Marnin’s goal gave Armagh a 1-5 to 0-7 lead at half-time, and the crucial moment came with a Blaine Hughes penalty save to deny Oisín Gallen.
Cavan kept their hopes of promotion to Division Two alive with a 2-13 to 3-9 win over Louth.
In Division 3, Fermanagh lost to Cork 1-14 to 0-16 in the closing stages, while Sligo beat Antrim 1-19 to 1-13.
The draw at Athletic Grounds means Armagh remain top of Division Two on goal difference with Donegal, but Cavan’s third win in four games leaves them just one point behind the top two.
Donegal were dominant at the start and end of the first half at the Athletic Ground, but Armagh hit a purple patch midway through the game, outscoring their opponents 1-4 to 0-1 and taking a one-goal lead at half-time.
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New GAA president Jarlath Burns was in the crowd at the game in Armagh.
The hosts found Donegal difficult to break from the start and were unable to score the first goal until the 13th minute, but Murnin’s goal suddenly put the game into motion.
Ciaran Mackin showed incredible vision, picking out the full forward with a 50-yard pass over the heads of the Donegal defense and scoring one-on-one into the arms of Marnin.
However, Donegal won the last three points of the first half and were trailing by just one point at half-time, 1-5 to 0-7.
Donegal continued their momentum, leading 0-10 to 1-5 early in the second half, with Patrick McBrearty and Oisin Gallen doing the heavy lifting on the scoreboard, but Armagh were star-studded, including Ryan O’Neill. I looked at the bench. response.
Donegal had a big chance in the 66th minute when they were awarded a level penalty, but Gallen was denied by a great save from Hughes.
Ryan O’Neill thought he had won by putting his team ahead in stoppage time, but Shane O’Donnell scored the equalizer and Jarlath Og Barnes missed a late chance to seal victory for Armagh. Patton’s hand.
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Armagh led 1-5 to 0-7 at half-time at the Athletic Ground.
Cavan kept their hopes of promotion in Division Two alive after defeating Louth 2-13 to 3-9 in a thrilling game at Ardee.
Gerald Smith hit the net early on to give Breffni County an early lead.
However, major penalties from Sam Mulroy and Ryan Barnes quickly turned the tide, with Cavan trailing 2-3 to 1-5 at half-time.
A Ciaran Smith strike early in the second period gave Cavan the advantage again in a helter-skelter encounter.
Smith was then shown a second yellow and Louth looked set to take a point when Sam Mulroy scored his second goal.
However, Tiernan Madden kept the hosts’ barrage at bay and Cavan eventually scored the decisive goal to secure a big two points.
Maurice Shanley’s late goal gave Cork a dramatic and important Division Two win over Fermanagh at Edderney
In contrast, Fermanagh now appear to be embroiled in a relegation battle in Division Two, as Maurice Shanley’s late goal gave Cork a 1-14 to 0-16 win at Edney. This win is desperately needed for the Rebels to boost their hopes of avoiding relegation in three games after an opening-round loss.
Shanley’s goal in the second minute of stoppage time put Cork 1-13 to 0-14, but a late brace from Girvan Jones could not save the home side and they dropped to 5th place – Louth and Kildare are just one point behind Cork, who are now bottom of the table after a recent loss to Meath.
Fermanagh reflected on his 69th-minute chance to score when Cork keeper Christopher Kelly saved a shot from Shane McGallion, giving his side a 0-14 to 0-13 lead.
Kerry also denied McGallion early on, but Arnemen nevertheless led 0-7 to 0-3, with Cork closing the gap to 0-8 to 0-6 by half-time.
Indeed, Cork could have taken the lead by the end of the first half as Fermanagh keeper Sean McNally denied Ian Maguire’s scoring chance.
Goals from Brian Hurley and Chris Og Jones saw Cork equalize after the restart, with McNally helping Fermanagh twice more by denying goal attempts from Colm O’Callaghan and Conor Corbett.
Goals from Declan McCusker and McGallion, as well as a brace from Jones, looked to have given Fermanagh back the lead as they went from 0-14 to 0-11, but the Rebels were unable to break free and a goal from Shanley put the visitors in the lead. He won a dramatic victory.
Antrim lost 1-19 to 1-13 to Sligo at Markiewicz Park, their second successive defeat in Division Three, and their promotion hopes were severely damaged.
Sligo captain Niall Murphy scored eight goals as the hosts recorded their third win of the season while Antrim led 1-9 to 1-8 at half-time.
As Ruari McCann’s free shot fell on the goal line, Ronan Boyle smashed his fist in from close range to give the Saffrons the lead.
Sligo got back into the game midway through the first half with a goal from Cian Lally, before Darragh Cummins scored a further two and Pat Spillane built a four-point advantage.
Antrim fought back with six unanswered points to take a one-point lead at half-time, but the introduction of Luke Towey was key in the second half as Sligo outscored the Saffrons 0-12 to 0-4. .
Antrim finished the game with 14 men following Mark Jordan’s late black card.
