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\nStephen O’Hanlon scores Monaghan’s second goal beating Louth goalkeeper Niall McDonnell to the ball<\/p>\n
A man down for the majority of the game, gallant Louth still found a way to secure a dramatic All-Ireland SFC quarter-final win at Croke Park, powering through to the championship’s last four for the first time since 1957.<\/p>\n
Fresh off their huge win over Ulster champions Armagh, when they conjured a late, late match-winning goal, Gavin Devlin’s side edged another arm wrestle with a neighbouring county by reeling off the last four points of the game.<\/p>\n
Tadhg McDonnell, Ciar\u00e1n Byrne and Ryan Burns accounted for those four points with substitutes McDonnell and Byrne providing a huge kick from the bench as they finished with three points apiece.<\/p>\n
Captain Sam Mulroy led the team in stunning fashion again too while Craig Lennon, man of the match Dara McDonnell and James Maguire all played their parts in a Trojan effort and a famous win.<\/p>\n
Having captured a breakthrough Leinster SFC title success in 2025, this is arguably an even bigger win for the Wee County who will return to Croke Park on July 11\/12 with designs on locking down a shock final spot.<\/p>\n
The win was all the more impressive as they lost midfield Se\u00e1n Callaghan to a straight red card in the eighth minute following what referee Se\u00e1n Hurson determined was a high challenge on Ois\u00edn McGorman.<\/p>\n
Monaghan, typically, fought to the bitter end but will rue the absence of Rory Beggan due to injury.<\/p>\n
He is among a number of veteran Monaghan stars that may now consider their futures after the heartbreaking quarter-final loss which has ended their season.<\/p>\n
News of Beggan’s unavailability filtered around Croke Park beforehand and came as a significant blow to Monaghan’s hopes of a fifth win in this season’s championship.<\/p>\n
The Scotstown man was taken off late in the Round 3 win over Westmeath and wasn’t even fit for bench duties this time.<\/p>\n
\nStephen O’Hanlon scores Monaghan’s second goal beating Louth goalkeeper Niall McDonnell to the ball<\/p>\n
Jamie Mooney, from the Cremartin club and the captain of the Monaghan Under-20 team that reached this season’s Ulster final, was drafted in as the replacement.<\/p>\n
It was a huge call and, in the circumstances, Mooney acquitted himself well though notably struggled to get his kick-outs away in the closing minutes of each half.<\/p>\n
For the first 30 minutes, the young keeper was reliable on his kick-outs, consistently picking overloads on either wing and trusting Monaghan to either win possession or sweep up the breaks.<\/p>\n
But when three kick-outs in a row found Louth hands in the lead up to half-time, it swung the momentum Louth’s way and they reeled off four scores in a row, amounting to 0-05 thanks to a Ciar\u00e1n Downey two-pointer.<\/p>\n
Mooney also had a shaky moment in the closing moments of the half when he fumbled a Craig Lennon point attempt that dropped short.<\/p>\n
By that stage, Louth were down to 14 players having spent most of the half without midfielder Callaghan.<\/p>\n
He was dismissed in the eighth minute after following through on Ois\u00edn McGorman with a dangerous, high challenge.<\/p>\n
Monaghan didn’t make enough use of the extra man because while they led 1-07 to 0-07 with 27 minutes on the clock, they should have been further ahead.<\/p>\n
With an extra man for their 11 v 10 attacks, they needed to stay patient and to wait for openings to materialise but rushed a couple of shots and wasted them, tallying five first-half wides.<\/p>\n
FULL-TIME<\/p>\n
Louth 0-27 Monaghan 2-18<\/p>\n
HISTORY FOR LOUTH!!!<\/p>\n
Sam Mulroy with an outrageous pick-up that helps set-up the insurance score for Louth<\/p>\n
Watch All-Ireland quarter-finals on RT\u00c92 and RT\u00c9 Player. Listen live on RT\u00c9 Radio 1 pic.twitter.com\/wq0ZUI0Gdf<\/a><\/p>\n