Mayo End 75-Year All-Ireland Wait with Kerry Thriller
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- Mayo lifted the title after losing 13 finals (including two replays) since their 1951 triumph, beating Kerry 1-20 to 1-17 in a tense finish that saw Tommy Conroy kick an insurance point to seal the win.
- Kerry raced into a 1-6 to 0-3 lead behind David Clifford's goal but were reeled in as Mayo trailed just 1-8 to 0-10 at the break and then surged clear in the third quarter.
- Darragh Beirne goaled during a decisive Mayo spell that built a five-point lead, with Ryan O'Donoghue and Kobe McDonald also landing two-pointers as Mayo moved 1-19 to 1-14 ahead.
- Kerry brothers David and Paudie Clifford combined for three late points to cut the gap to two, but Sean O'Shea's final effort from outside the two-point arc dropped short as Mayo held on.
- Andy Moran capped a whirlwind first season as Mayo manager with the title, redeeming six final losses from his own playing career with the county.
- Kobe McDonald, an 18-year-old starlet, leaves for Australia an All-Ireland champion after featuring prominently in the win.
- Shane Murphy preserved Kerry's late hopes by tipping a goal-bound McDonald shot over the bar, keeping his side within striking distance deep into the closing stages.
Why it matters: Mayo had lost 13 finals since 1951, making this the most emotionally loaded win in the county's football history and delivering redemption for manager Andy Moran, who personally lost six of those deciders as a player. Kerry, denied a second straight title, see their drive for back-to-back crowns ended by a team they had previously outclassed early in this final.
