DERRY looked like they were dead and buried — but they came back to life.
Their campaign hung by a thread before an unconvincing group-stage win over Westmeath last weekend gave them one more shot in the last-chance saloon against Mayo.
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Last night, they took it.
They needed penalties to get the job done on an evening of redemption for stopper Odhrán Lynch.
Lynch saved Ryan O’Donoghue’s effort before Conor Doherty fired them into the All-Ireland quarter-finals next weekend.
But Mayo let a stoppage-time lead slip for the second week running to bow out of the Championship as they failed to reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the first time since 2018.
Last weekend Cormac Costello’s Dublin leveller denied them a quarter-final spot at the death.
And Chrissy McKaigue’s last-gasp equaliser forced extra-time last night before their penalty woes.
Mickey Harte’s side produced their best Championship performance of the year as Brendan Rogers and Conor Glass starred, while Lachlan Murray fired 0-5.
But Lynch was the hero, denying Matthew Ruane with a huge save on the hour mark before halting O’Donoghue’s effort in the penalty drama as Derry prevailed 4-3.
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Mayo had so many opportunities to kill the game off but did not take them.
Ruane’s chance would have put them comfortably in front as Sam Callinan somehow fisted wide in stoppage time.
But McKaigue made no mistake at the other end to force an extra 20 minutes and this time Derry coughed up the lead.
The visitors were 0-15 to 1-10 ahead before Conor Loftus and Paul Towey rescued Mayo.
But their luck ran out from the spot to wave the summer goodbye.
The Oak Leaf were in command at the break with a 0-6 to 0-3 lead.
McStay’s men were lethargic and played within themselves, struggling to jump the Derry defensive wall.
Murray lit up a cagey first half with 0-4 as Jack Coyne, Callinan and Eoghan McLaughlin took turns marking him to no avail and the Oak Leaf of old surfaced.
Harte’s men played the game on their terms, as McKaigue kept tabs on Aidan O’Shea at the edge of the square.
Conor McCluskey held his own against O’Donoghue and Donnacha McHugh was just as effective on Oak Leaf star Ciarán McFaul.
Murray’s second of the game put Derry 0-3 to 0-1 ahead when O’Shea overturned McKaigue.
But the Slaughtneil man got revenge and fouled him from behind.
It was a crucial moment as McKaigue avoided a black card and Derry were spared a Mayo break with Lynch out from goal.
Emmett Bradley was lucky to escape punishment for a cynical foul on O’Donoghue moments later.
Derry hearts were in mouths when Jack Coyne’s shot dropped short and Lynch spilled it but it deflected wide off Stephen Coen.
Murray followed up an absolute beauty with a fisted effort when he left Tommy Conroy for dead.
Mayo kept running down blind alleys in possession as their key men struggled to have an impact.
The only half goal chance came Derry’s way when a slick team move saw Glass release Gareth McKinless before Shane McGuigan was cleared by the hosts.
O’Donoghue was the only Mayo forward to score in the first half and both of those were frees as his placed ball on the whistle left them three behind.
But McStay’s men attacked the second half like a different team, and outscored their opponents 1-4 to 0-2 to storm ahead in the third quarter.
Conroy got the ball rolling with a mark and a score from play when he left Conor Doherty for dust.
O’Shea got on far more ball to terrorise the Derry backline and scored the equaliser when he brushed Glass and Ethan Doherty aside.
Rogers and McKinless hit the Oak Leaf response before Mayo were awarded a penalty in a major turning point on 49 minutes.
O’Donoghue produced a magnificent flick to play Conroy through as McKinless blocked with his foot.
And O’Donoghue made no mistake from the spot.
But for some reason Mayo went back into their shell again and would only score one more point before the final whistle.
Derry patiently went about their play as Murray got their first in ten minutes to take his tally to 0-5.
Lynch pressed and carried his team forward as O’Shea drifted back for the hosts to defend before he went off to standing ovation.
The Mayo fans jeered when Lynch fired wide but the Derry stopper kept his team in the game when he produced a superb save to deny Ruane with ten minutes go.
O’Donoghue stuck the rebound over the bar.
A second Mayo goal would have been curtains but Harte’s men were still standing when McGuigan fired over his first from play to make it 1-8 to 0-10 before they pulled it from the fire.
The hosts failed to land the killer blow as Callinan fisted wide heading for stoppage time.
Glass’ effort came back off the post as Derry pressed forward for the vital late score.
It came when McKinless released McKaigue to fist over and force extra-time.
ERRANT SUBSTITUTION
By now, taking O’Shea off looked like a big mistake.
Derry sailed into extra-time on that momentum as Rogers rubberstamped his best performance of the year with a cracker from play.
Niall Toner turned Mayo over before Ethan Doherty fired a swift double to pull them three clear.
The hosts were running on fumes when Jordan Flynn pointed and had just ten minutes to save their Championship.
A gripping second period of extra-time followed as Paul Towey announced his arrival with a peach before McGuigan blasted his fourth at the end with a cheeky smile.
Mayhem ensued as Conor Loftus kept the hosts alive.
And they almost blew it when O’Donoghue missed a free on the right to draw level after McKinless fouled Conroy.
But Glass somehow gave the ball straight to Towey as Derry pressed to kill the game.
And from that attack Flynn kept his cool to force penalties.
Cillian O’Connor and McGuigan scored before Towey hit the post.
Glass and Diarmuid O’Connor made no mistake before Ethan Doherty fired wide.
Lynch saved O’Donoghue’s effort as Loftus kept Mayo alive.
But Conor Doherty killed them off for another year to spark Derry’s season into life.
DERRY: O Lynch; C McCluskey, C McKaigue 0-1, D Baker; C McFaul, E McEvoy, C Doherty 0-2; C Glass, B Rogers 0-2; G McKinless 0-1, E Bradley, P Cassidy; E Doherty, S McGuigan 0-4, 2f, L Murray 0-5, 1m. Subs: E Mulholland for E Bradley 44mins; D Gilmore for C Doherty 67, C Murphy for Cassidy 67, N Toner for Murray 72, R Forbes for Baker 73 (blood); Cassidy for Murphy 71, C Doherty for Baker 83.
MAYO: C Reape; J Coyne, D McBrien, D McHugh; R Brickenden, S Callinan 0-1, E McLaughlin; S Coen, M Ruane; T Conroy 0-2, 1m, D McHale, J Flynn 0-2; A O’Shea 0-1, J Carney, R O’Donoghue 1-4, 3f, 1-0 pen. Subs: C Loftus 0-1 for McLaughlin h-t; D O’Connor for McHale 54 mins; E Hession for Coyne 58; C O’Connor for Ruane 67; B Tuohy for O’Shea 73; P Towey 0-1 for Brickenden 81; M Plunkett for Callinan 87.
REFEREE: B Cawley (Kildare).
