Cork upset the odds to reach All-Ireland final

Cork 1-13 Tyrone 0-11

Cork powered to victory against champions Tyrone today to reach the All-Ireland final with a brilliant display at Croke Park.

Conor Counihan’s side suffocated the Sam Maguire Cup holders out of the game with a battling defensive display, despite the fact that they played more than half the game with 14 men, following the first-half dismissal of midfielder Alan O’Connor.

Daniel Goulding cracked home the only goal of the game on seven minutes, and from that point onwards, the Red Hands were fighting a losing battle.

Ryan McMenamin and Stephen O’Neill hit early points for the All-Ireland champions, but Cork cut loose to race into an eight-point lead.

Daniel Goulding fired home a seventh-minute goal, finishing on the volley after Paul Kerrigan’s shot had been blocked down by Justin McMahon.

Cork added on scores through Patrick Kelly, Donncha O’Connor, Colm O’Neill and Pearse O’Neill to lead by 1-6 to 0-2 after 15 minutes.

Kevin Hughes charged through the middle to launch a Red Hand revival with a point, and a couple of Owen Mulligan frees and a Stephen O’Neill effort narrowed the gap further.

Cork suffered a blow in the 29th minute when midfielder Alan O’Connor received a second yellow card for a challenge on Mulligan, and O’Neill punished from the resultant free to narrow the gap to five.

The Munster champions led by 1-9 to 0-7 at half-time, and displayed immense workrate and intensity in the early stages of the second half, forcing a series of turnovers and succeeding in stifling Tyrone’s support game.

Two O’Connor points and a second from Colm O’Neill kept their noses in front, and even the introduction of Sean Cavanagh and Brian McGuigan did little to revive Tyrone’s faltering challenge.

Philip Jordan and Martin Penrose did pull back points, but Cork’s ferocious defending never relented.

Unforced errors allowed Colm O’Neill and Fintan Goold in for points, and Tyrone were on the canvass long before the end.

Tyrone: P McConnell, PJ Quinn, C Gormley, R McMenamin (0-1), D Harte (0-1), Justin McMahon, P Jordan (0-1), K Hughes (0-1), E McGinley, B Dooher, T McGuigan, Joe McMahon, M Penrose (0-1), S O’Neill (0-4, 1f), O Mulligan (0-2, 2f).

Subs: B McGuigan for T McGuigan (h-t), S Cavanagh for McGinley (46), Sean O’Neill for Gormley (54), A Cassidy for Dooher (54), C McCullagh for Joe McMahon

Cork: A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, A Lynch, N O’Leary, G Canty, J Miskella, A O’Connor (0-1), N Murphy, P Kerrigan (0-1), P O’Neill (0-1), P Kelly (0-2), D Goulding (1-1), C O’Neill (0-2), D O’Connor (0-4, 3f).

Subs: F Goold (0-1) for Goulding (58), J Hayes for Kerrigan (60), M Cussen for O’Connor (66), K O’Connor for O’Leary (69), Cadogan for Miskella (71).

Referee: J Bannon (Longford).