Galway beat 14-man Derry as Monaghan & Cavan lose

Galway exploited Gareth McKinless' 21st-minute red card to take control of the All-Ireland Football Championship Group 1 opener

Derry's hopes of regrouping quickly following their early Ulster SFC exit were dashed as they were beaten 2-14 to 0-15 by Galway in the All-Ireland Championship opener at Salthill.

Gareth McKinless' sending off for standing on Damien Comer's ankle - when the sides were level at 0-4 to 0-4 - was a huge moment as Galway took control to lead 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time.

A Sean Kelly goal helped extend Galway's lead to six and while Derry cut the margin to three, Cein Darcy's 63rd-minute breakaway goal sealed the Tribesmen's triumph.

In Saturday's other opening Super 16s games, Kerry outclassed Monaghan 0-24 to 1-11 in Killarney with Mayo earning a dominant 0-20 to 1-8 win over Cavan at Castlebar.

Derry made a promising start as their defensive structure initially frustrated Galway but McKinless' indiscipline, as he clearly trod on Comer after having fouled the Galway forward, was exploited by Padraic Joyce's side for whom Paul Conroy, John Daly and Shane McGuigan's marker Johnny McGrath all excelled.

After a second successive championship defeat, the Oak Leafers, who many tipped as likely All-Ireland winners after clinching the Allianz Football League title in March, will be back in action against beaten Ulster Finalists Armagh in two weeks when Galway will take on Westmeath.

Derry lose way after promising start

Despite having to totally rejig the half-back line that started in the Ulster SFC defeat by Donegal which ended their hopes of a third straight provincial title, Derry started well as a trademark long-range point from Paul Cassidy was quickly followed by a fisted Emmett Bradley score after a neat Conor Glass lay-off.

Galway's opening attacks were easily repelled by the Derry defence and even though Johnny Heaney and Matthew Tierney levelled matters by the 11th minute, the Oak Leafers still looked composed.

McGuigan and Ciaran McFaul scores twice edged Derry one up only for Galway to reply but then came the game's pivotal moment as McKinless received his marching orders.

The impressive Robert Finnerty kicked the resultant free to put Galway ahead for the first time and they were never behind thereafter.

Further scores from outstanding trio Conroy, Finnerty and Daly left the home side 0-8 to 0-6 ahead at the break, with McGuigan replying just before half-time, with a magnificent left-footed effort on the turn.

Derry's half-time stats didn't make pretty reading with Mickey Harte's side having kicked five wides in addition to dropping four efforts into Connor Gleeson's hands.

The Oak Leafers initially appeared to have regrouped after the break as scores from Glass and the impressive Lachlan Murray levelled the contest.

However, backchat from the subdued Brendan Rogers made a difficult free much easier for Finnerty and it soon got much worse for Derry as Matthew Tierney intercepted a short Odhran Lynch kickout before releasing charging skipper Kelly, whose initial shot was blocked by Diarmuid Baker, before he fisted the rebound to the net.

Shane Walsh finally showed his swagger as he hit two points in a minute to extend Galway's lead to six by the 52nd minute.

Desertmartin youngster Murray bravely attempted to take the fight to Galway by hitting two more scores which left a kick of the ball between the sides with eight minutes remaining.

McGuigan immediately attempted to get Derry on terms as he let fly at goal but the shot was straight at Gleeson and the ball was immediately worked downfield as Darcy exchanged hand passes with Daniel O'Flaherty before palming the ball into the Oak Leaf net.

That effectively was that despite some late Derry huff and puff.

David Clifford and his Kerry team-mates led 0-15 to 0-2 at half-time in Killarney

Kerry too strong for Farneymen

Monaghan suffered a sobering 0-24 to 1-11 defeat by Kerry in their Group 4 opener in Killarney.

The Kingdom led 0-15 to 0-2 at half-time with David Clifford and his five forward colleagues all on the scoresheet by that stage.

Gary Mohan grabbed a goal for the Farneymen midway through the second period.

As the game quickly petered out, Paul Geaney kept the scoreboard ticking for the hosts while man of the match Tom O’Sullivan weighed in with three scores from corner-back.

After Mohan scored Monaghan’s opening score Kerry rattled off seven successive points to take the game away from Vinny Corey’s men.

Conor McCarthy, who had failed to take a glorious early goal chance for Monaghan as Shane Ryan saved his pointblank shot, stopped the Ulster side’s drought but the Kingdom kicked a further seven points before the break to lead by 13.

With Louth and Meath also in Group 4, there could be better days ahead for Monaghan in this year’s Championship.

However, they were no match for their opponents in Killarney.

Punished for every turnover, Kerry made them pay. Sean O’Shea (0-3), Clifford (0-5) and Geaney (0-5) terrorised the Farney backline as the Kingdom ran out resounding winners.

Cavan well beaten in Castlebar

Matty Ruane was an influential presence in the Mayo midfield

Having lost forward Paddy Lynch to a cruciate injury following their UIster Championship exit at the hands of Tyrone, Cavan travelled to Castlebar on Saturday evening shorn of key personnel and momentum.

And Mayo indeed proved far too strong for the Breffnimen as they recorded a comfortable nine-point win.

With Mayo dominant on their own kick-outs, Matty Ruane was hugely influential from midfield as he finished the evening with three points.

Mayo's two corner forwards, Ryan O'Donoghue (0-7) and Cillian O'Connor (0-4), accounted for more than half of the home side's scores, while Darren McHale chipped in with two.

Leading 0-9 to 0-5 at the break, Mayo went five up through O'Donoghue, and while Tiarnan Madden responded for Cavan, Kevin McStay's side looked home and hosed after O'Connor and Stephen Coen efforts.

Even with James Smith's 58th-minute goal for Cavan and a late black card for Mayo centre-back Sam Callinan, the Connacht side never looked in danger of letting the Ulster side back into the contest.

Cavan must now regroup in time to host All-Ireland champions Dublin in a fortnight's time.