Tyrone hold on for a draw
Tyrone 1-9 Cork 1-9
A thrilling Healy Park draw had vastly contrasting consequences for both sides.
Cork pressed the self-destruct button to almost certainly go crashing out of the National Football League title race, while only a miracle will deprive treble-chasing Tyrone of a place in the semi-finals.
Three glaring misses in the final moments robbed the Rebels of an opportunity to challenge for qualification, while Tyrone freely admitted, to a man, that this was a game they should have lost.
"We played very poorly early on and it took too long for us to get our first score, but after that I am really pleased with the attitude the players showed," said Cork manager Billy Morgan.
"We really dug in out there. Mentally we have to be a little but tougher and there were times out there when we fell back into our old habits."
Cork defended superbly in the opening 23 minutes, heroically compensating for their attack's failure to register a single score, and defying the loss of centre back Anthony Lynch with a hamstring injury after just four minutes.
Importantly, they restricted the All-Ireland champions to just two points in that period, from Brian McGuigan and Philip Jordan.
But the Leesiders cut loose in the final 12 minutes of the half, their revival led by the marauding runs of brilliant half back Eoin Sexton.
Sexton hit two wonderful points and was at the heart of all his side's best attacking moves, as Conor McCarthy, Alan Cronin, Philip Clifford all scored from play and Fionan Murray steered over a free.
The treble-chasing NFL holders were in disarray, strangely unable to cope with the strong running of the visitors, and with Graham Canty and Noel O'Leary dominant at the back, Tyrone struggled to get any momentum going.
Cork led by 0-7 to 0-3 at the break, but Tyrone, now playing into the swirling breeze, had the deficit down tow a single point within five minutes of the restart, Mark Hart converting a free and Gerard Cavlan and Stephen O'Neill pointing from play.
And when Harte gathered a rebound to shoot to the net 11 minutes into the half, Tyrone were back in front.
Cork responded with a goal eight minute later, Sexton crossing for substitute Ciaran O'Sullivan to crash the ball to the net from close range.
O'Sullivan was now one of the game's most influential figures, and when he converted two frees, the sides were level again.
Tyrone appeared to be tiring, and with Cork once again attacking in droves, the proud Healy Park record was under threat.
But Conor McCarthy and Fionan Murray, twice, both missed glorious late chances to allow the NFL champions off the hook.
Tyrone: P McConnell, R McMenamin, C Gourley, M McGee, B Donnelly, G Devlin, P Jordan (0-1), K Hughes, G Cavlan (0-2), B Dooher, B McGuigan (0-2), S O'Neill (0-1), M Harte (1-2, 2 frees), O Mulligan (0-1, free), E McGinley.
Sub: S Cavanagh for McGee (61 mins)
Cork: K O'Dwyer, S O'Brien, G Canty, N O'Leary, E Sexton (0-2, A Lynch, M Cronin, D Hurley, M O'Sullivan, K McMahon, C McCarthy (0-1), A Cronin (0-1), P Clifford ()-1), F Murray (0-1, free), C Crowley (0-1). Subs: G Murphy for Lynch (4 mins), C O'Sullivan (1-2, 2 frees) for Murphy (45 mins), N Murphy for Hurley (53 mins), C Brosnan for Crowley (66 mins)
Referee: S McCormack (Meath)
