Mayo's All-Ireland journey ends in penalty shootout heartache

Mayo's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship journey came an end at the preliminary quarterfinal stage as they lost to Derry on penalties in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar.

The Ulster team won the shootout by four goals to three, a crowd just shy of 14,000 riveted until the very end as the two teams were ultimately separated by just one kick of the ball, Conor Doherty's spot kick proving decisive in the end.

Derry had the better of the first half but Mayo roared back into contention in the second and were mere seconds away from winning, but in a scenario somewhat similar to last week against Dublin, they conceded a late score, Chrissy McKaigue fisting the ball between the posts deep into injury time to make it a drawn game (1-8 to 0-11).

That forced extra time, and again the two teams went toe-to-toe. This time Mayo needed to find a late equaliser and Jordan Flynn duly obliged, meaning penalties were necessary to determine a winner.

Cillian O'Connor put Mayo ahead in the shootout but Mayo missed two of the next four efforts, Paul Towey hitting the post and Ryan O'Donoghue seeing his effort saved by the Derry goalkeeper, Odhran Lynch. Diarmuid O'Connor and Conor Loftus both scored their efforts, but with Derry having scored three of their first four penalties, Shane McGuigan, Conor Glass and Ciarán McFaul all on target while Ethan Doherty missed the target entirely, Conor Doherty had the chance to settle it – and he made no mistake, though Mayo 'keeper Colm Reape got fingertips to the strike.

Early on, Mayo were a shadow of the team that performed so admirably against Dublin six days ago. The early exchanges were a portent of what was to come, with Mayo hanging on to possession but failing to penetrate the massed Derry defence. Of the three points they scored in the first half, two were frees from the boot of Ryan O'Donoghue, though it must be said the only point from play – Mayo's first of the game on nine minutes – was a beauty from Sam Callinan following a very patient move.

The hosts came closest to finding the net in the first half also but it wasn't through incisive build-up play. It was a gift, rather, from Derry 'keeper Lynch, who dropped a floated Jack Coyne delivery, allowing Stephen Coen a half-chance but, at full-stretch, the Mayo captain poked the ball wide under serious pressure.

Derry looked much more impressive than in all championship games to date, with Lachlan Murray on fire up front. He landed four first-half points – three from play along with a mark, the opening score of the game on eight minutes – while Shane McGuigan landed two frees as well, and Derry were full value for their three-point advantage at half-time (0-6 to 0-3) given then energy with which they played from the first whistle.

Mayo were a different team from the start of the second half and two points from Tommy Conroy (one mark) in addition to one from livewire Aidan O'Shea had them level inside seven minutes.

By the 10th minute of the second half Mayo were ahead for the first time thanks to a Ryan O'Donoghue free, but Derry responded positively with fine efforts from Brendan Rogers and Gareth McKinless.

A brilliant Mayo move initiated by O'Shea and kept going by O'Donoghue's superb flick into the path of Darren McHale ended with Tommy Conroy's effort on goal being thwarted by a foot block, and the hosts had a penalty that O'Donoghue rolled to the net beyond the Derry netminder.

That gave Mayo a lead of two points (1-7 to 0-8) but they only scored one more point before the full-time whisttle, O'Donoghue with his sole effort from play on the rebound after Lynch had parried Matthew Ruane's goal-bound effort.

Murray and McGuigan scored either side of that score, but Mayo were hanging on to the slender lead deep into injury time before Chrissy McKaigue stole forward to split the posts with a fisted effort, setting up extra time.

Derry looked the better team in the first period of extra time and shot three points clear thanks to Brendan Rogers and Ethan Doherty (two), but Jordan Flynn pulled one back in the final minute of the first period.

Paul Towey was introduced for Mayo from the start of the second period and immediately made his presence felt with a point to leave the minimum between the sides, but McGuigan scored a great effort to put Derry two up once more (0-15 to 1-10).

While they were on the ropes, Mayo weren't quite done for and Conor Loftus made it a one-point game before Jordan Flynn scored the equalising score in the final minute of extra time, meaning penalties would be required to sort it all out.

After all the drama, the upshot is that Mayo's campaign has ended at the preliminary quarterfinal stage – one round earlier than last year – and there's a long wait for senior inter-county football to start back up again for Kevin McStay's charges.

Mayo: Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, David McBrien, Donnacha McHugh; Rory Brickenden, Sam Callinan (0-1), Eoghan McLaughlin; Stephen Coen, Matthew Ruane; Tommy Conroy (0-2, 1m), Darren McHale, Jordan Flynn (0-2); Aidan O'Shea (0-1), Jack Carney, Ryan O'Donoghue (1-4, 1-0p, 3f).

Subs used: Conor Loftus (0-1), Cillian O'Connor, Diarmuid O'Connor, Enda Hession, Michael Plunkett, Paul Towey (0-1), Bob Tuohy.

Derry: Odhran Lynch; Conor McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue (0-1), Diarmuid Baker; Ciarán McFaul, Eoin McEvoy, Conor Doherty; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers (0-2); Ethan Doherty (0-2), Emmett Bradley, Paul Cassidy; Gareth McKinless (0-1), Shane McGuigan (0-4, 2f), Lachlan Murray (0-5, 1m).

Subs used: Eunan Mulholland, Donncha Gilmore, Cormac Murphy, Niall Toner, Ruairí Forbes.

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).