Goalfilled drama and the vivid clash of maroon and green-and-red are usually reserved for balmy summer afternoons, not dreary Sunday afternoons in January. Yet football supporters at Pearse Stadium were treated to a classic as Mayo edged Galway in a pulsating Allianz Football League Division One opener, a contest not decided until the final frantic moments.
Mayo appeared to have the points safely tucked away long before the finish, but a stirring late Galway revival ensured the visitors had to dig deep to avoid an embarrassing collapse and carry the spoils back across the county boundary.
An attendance of 11,515 witnessed an afternoon of wildly fluctuating fortunes and relentless goalmouth action, with Mayo eventually prevailing by 3-18 to 2-18 after a contest that swung repeatedly between control and chaos.
The visitors laid the foundations early, their power and efficiency in attack causing Galway persistent problems. After a relatively even opening quarter, Mayo struck the first significant blow in the 17th minute when David McBrien and Bob Tuohy combined to release Aidan O’Shea, who finished with trademark composure to the net. That goal steadied Mayo and allowed them to stretch clear, aided by the booming kick-outs and scoring accuracy of returning goalkeeper Robbie Hennelly.
Hennelly’s influence was profound throughout, not least with three magnificently struck two-point frees. The pick of them came just before the break, a wind-assisted effort from close to 60 metres that underlined Mayo’s growing authority. Jack Carney added a buzzer-beating two-pointer of his own as Mayo turned with a 1-12 to 0-9 lead, one that felt even more significant given Galway’s struggles to convert several promising chances.
Galway, missing a number of established figures, remained competitive through the shooting of Oisín Mac Donnacha and Robert Finnerty, but they too often failed to make pressure count. By contrast, Mayo were ruthless after the restart. Two-point efforts from Hennelly and Ryan O’Donoghue, allied to a well-taken goal from debutant Darragh Beirne, pushed the lead out to a daunting 2-17 to 0-12 by the 49th minute. At that stage, the contest looked over.
What followed, however, was a reminder of Galway’s resilience and Pearse Stadium’s capacity to ignite. Finnerty led the charge with a brace of points before substitute Shane McGrath slipped in for a neat, side-footed goal that suddenly injected belief into the home support. The margin was cut to six and momentum swung sharply.
Mayo responded when they needed it most. Breaking at pace, Cian McHale finished clinically to the net on 61 minutes to restore a seven-point cushion. Yet Galway refused to yield. Fionn McDonagh, impressive throughout and outstanding on debut, struck for the game’s final goal and later added points as the hosts poured forward in search of a dramatic finale. Ciarán Mulhern floated over a late two-pointer to further narrow the gap, while Mayo were forced into a series of last-ditch blocks and clearances.
In the end, superb defending and crucial saves from Hennelly allowed Mayo to weather the storm and secure a deserved, if hard-earned, opening-day victory. For Galway, there was disappointment but also encouragement in a stirring second-half response. For Mayo, this was a reminder that even in January gloom, battles with the maroon can still deliver summer-level drama.
Mayo: Robbie Hennelly; Eoin McGreal, Stephen Coen, Enda Hession; Sam Callinan, Michael Plunkett, Sean Morahan; Bob Tuohy, David McBrien; Jack Carney, Ryan O'Donoghue (captain ), Jordan Flynn; Darragh Beirne, Aidan O'Shea, Tommy Conroy.
Subs: Paddy Durcan for McGreal (inj., 17 ), Conal Dawson for Flynn (49 ), Cian McHale for Beirne (49 ), James Carr for Conroy (55 ), Fergal Boland for Plunkett (60 ).
Scorers for Mayo: Robbie Hennelly 0-6 (3tpf ), Ryan O'Donoghue 0-5 (1tp, 1f ), Darragh Beirne 1-1, Jack Carney 0-3 (1tp ); Aidan O'Shea and Cian McHale 1-0 each; Jordan Flynn 0-2, Fergal Boland 0-1.
Galway: Connor Gleeson; Kieran Molloy, Sean Fitzgerald, Jack Glynn; Liam Silke, Johnny McGrath, Dylan McHugh (captain ); Sean Kelly, Cian Hernon; Finnian Ó Laoi, Ciarán Mulhern, Daniel O'Flaherty; Fionn McDonagh, Robert Finnerty, Oisín Mac Donnacha.
Subs: Shane Walsh for Ó Laoi (temporary, 31-HT ), Matias Éoin Bairéad for Ó Laoi (41 ), Shay McGlinchey for Hernon (47 ), Shane Walsh for Mac Donnacha (47 ), Shane McGrath for Molloy (49 ), Liam Ó Conghaile for O'Flaherty (65 ).
Scorers for Galway: Fionn McDonagh 1-4, Robert Finnerty 0-5 (1f, 1m ), Oisín Mac Donnacha (1tp ) and Ciarán Mulhern (1tp ) 0-3 each; Shane McGrath 1-0; Kieran Molloy, Finnian Ó Laoi and Daniel O'Flaherty 0-1 each.
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork ).
