Mayo moved into the last four of the All-Ireland senior football championship for the first time in five years thanks to a 0-23 to 0-18 win over Cork at Croke Park this afternoon.

The winners’ full-forward line combined for 0-19 over the 70 minutes, with teenager Darragh Beirne (0-7) delivering a ‘Man of the Match’ display for the Connacht side while their opponents were left to rue 15 wides as they bowed out of the championship.

Fellow teen Kobe McDonald got Mayo up and running with his first ever point at Croke Park inside the opening minute and full-forward Ryan O’Donoghue, who finished with 0-8, doubled their lead in the very next attack.

Cork, who couldn't reach the same heights as their win in Ballybofey a fortnight ago, hit back with scores from marksman Steven Sherlock (‘45’) and Colm O’Callaghan before moving in front with a Mark Cronin two-point free, and they’d push their lead to three with the help of Sherlock and Paul Walsh scores prior to McDonald nailing a two-pointer at the other end.

O’Donoghue squared the sides ahead of another Sherlock ‘45’ sailing over and Chris Og Jones would give the Rebels back a two-point lead before O’Donoghue landed a free from beyond the arc right before half-time (0-9 to 0-9).

Jones nudged John Cleary’s men ahead with a point two minutes into the restart, but back-to-back two-pointers by Beirne, along with a McDonald point, saw Mayo taking control and they’d never trail this quarter-final again.

Rory Maguire’s point brought the Munster men back within one by the 54th minute ahead of the next three scores, including a Jack Carney two-pointer, going the way of the Westerners.

Beirne’s seventh point of the afternoon made it a four-point game and the semi-final berth would be wrapped up by Andy Moran’s side thanks to the late scores of O’Donoghue (two frees) and Conor Loftus.

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