Micheal McCarville of Monaghan in action against Enda Hession of Mayo during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Monaghan and Mayo at St Tiernach's Park in Clones, Monaghan. *Photo: Philip Fitzpatrick/Sportsfile*

Monaghan comeback just falls short in thrilling Mayo clash

All-Ireland SFC R1

Published: Sun 31 May 2026, 9:38 PM

Monaghan 2-20

Mayo 1-24

A storming second-half rally from Monaghan fell just short of catching Mayo in Clones.

Mayo looked to be cruising when they led by 12 points early in the second half, but they had to cling on in the end after a typically resilient effort by Monaghan, inspired in no small part by the impact of Bobby McCaul, who saw his display cruelly cut short by a serious-looking injury.

Monaghan had a dozen scorers in all, but they were left to rue several missed goal chances, with Jack Livingstone making some vital saves on his SFC debut for Mayo. Ryan O’Donoghue hit 0-8 for Mayo, while Kobe McDonald’s 1-4 (on the scene of his league debut earlier this year) also proved crucial.

Jack Carney’s first-minute two-pointer set the tone for Mayo, who pressed Monaghan relentlessly in the early stages, with Ryan O’Donoghue, Jordan Flynn and Kobe McDonald adding scores. Monaghan took nine minutes to open their account through Jack McCarron and while Andrew Woods and David Garland had goal chances, they couldn’t force them home.

Two-pointers by Darragh Beirne, Carney, O’Donoghue and McDonald stretched Mayo’s lead, with McDonald also palming to the net from close range from Beirne’s pass across the square. O’Donoghue landed a huge score from distance just before the half-time whistle to send Mayo in with a commanding advantage at 1-17 to 0-9.

Jordan Flynn moved Andy Moran’s side 12 clear within a minute of the restart, but Monaghan slowly started to close the gap via a pair of Rory Beggan ‘45s and a trademark long-range effort from Dessie Ward. O’Donoghue replied with a brace, but Bobby McCaul was proving to be a real handful for the Mayo defence after his introduction and despite a series of near-misses, the youngster’s persistence paid off with 1-1 in quick succession as the Monaghan crowd found their voice.

Jack McCarron landed scores from either side of the arc to fuel Monaghan’s comeback, before a brilliant solo goal by Stephen Mooney made it a two-point game. An O’Donoghue free settled Mayo’s nerves and while Max Maguire raised one last orange flag with time almost up, McDonald’s superb catch from the resulting kick-out ended a rip-roaring contest.