Mayo left with same bitter aftertaste of respect and pity

Gary Lineker once said that football is a simple game, one where 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, in the end, the Germans always win. How easily that could be reworded for the Dubs, but with a coda to give Mayo their due

Sat, 19 Dec, 2020 - 19:52

Brendan O'Brien

A year with a difference. A championship upped from its roots and transplanted months down the line. An All-Ireland final played in the bitter cold, not the expected warmth of a late autumn breeze. An empty Croke Park instead of a stadium heaving and bucking to the peculiar madness these two all but guarantee.

Everything about this championship was unfamiliar. Everything except this 70 minutes. Gary Lineker once said that football is a simple game, one where 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, in the end, the Germans always win. How easily that could be reworded for the Dubs, but with a coda to give Mayo their due.