Sporting Advent Calendar #15: Donegal deliver Dublin a knockout blow

Donegal 3-14 Dublin 0-17, Croke Park, August 31st

As Keith Duggan put it the next day, you could hear the faint echo of Ali here. Donegal shocked the world. At least that's how it felt, sitting in Croke Park this day and trying to work out how the biggest All Ireland semi-final underdogs since Leitrim in 1995 managed to fool us all one last time.

Hindsight tells us now that our problem was looking at Jim McGuinness's side without really seeing them. The summer had been a grind, a succession of arm-wrestles with like-minded Ulster teams. Regaining their Ulster title was a huge achievement after the misery of 2013 but it looked to be their ceiling. Especially so when they could only squeak past Armagh in the quarter-final.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 4

Equally, we were blinded by the sheer luminosity of what Dublin had been serving up all year. Ever since the league semi-final in which they essayed a 17-point turnaround over Cork in the space of the second half, Jim Gavin’s side were relentless. From that point on, it looked like a procession. We kept trying to remind ourselves that nothing is inevitable in sport. With inevitable results.

Dublin got a trial run at playing against a blanket defence against Monaghan in the quarter-final but the ease with which they played around it served them badly against Donegal. They started just as well and were five points up after 25 minutes and cruising.

But Donegal like nothing better than finding a cruise to capsize. And for the last kick of McGuinness’s time in charge, they got in amongst a fancied team and rushed them into mistakes. Dublin’s full-court press started to fray and fritz and Donegal nicked three goals on the break. Gavin never changed formation to cover the massive expanse of room down in front of the Hill and Ryan McHugh in particular made hay. By the end, Donegal had six points to spare.

A raid for the ages. McGuinness’s best ever trick. And a reminder, as if we should need one by now, that every game is winnable. And loseable, for that matter.