Mayo dreams left shattered after penalty shootout heartbreak

Mayo manager Kevin McStay, bottom, and backroom staff during the shootout. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Add another glorious thread to the heroic failure tapestry. Mayo came close and fell short, again. Conor Doherty’s decisive penalty broke their hearts after an extraordinary contest in front of a 13,955 crowd in Castlebar. All that is left is courage and heart and broken dreams.

The same old story, so. But different as well. This was the first time in championship history Mayo participated in a penalty shootout. Yet like the Connacht final in Galway or the Dublin game last week, Mayo led in extra-time and conspired to let it slip. A winter of that familiar, futile talk about cutting edge and top-tier quality and left-footed free takers awaits.