Kerry dash Donegal's dream in All-Ireland final

Kerry won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the 39th time with a dominant 1-26 to 0-19 victory over Donegal at Croke Park, crushing the Ulster champions' dream of a first title since 2012.

The Kingdom laid the foundations for their latest Sam Maguire success with a powerful attacking display in the first half in which they scored four two-pointers to lead 0-17 to 0-10 at the break.

The Munster kingpins - for whom talisman David Clifford scored 0-9 - stretched their lead to nine early in the second half before Donegal clawed their way back to reduce the gap to four with 15 minutes left.

However, Kerry finished strongly to deny the sell-out 82,300 crowd a nail-biting finale, with Joe O'Connor's late goal capping a deserved win for Jack O'Connor's team.

Kerry can celebrate a first title since 2022, but it is another devastating All-Ireland final loss for Jim McGuinness, whose Donegal side lost the 2014 final to the same team in the last match of his first spell in charge.

While 2012 winner McGuinness is denied a second All-Ireland title as Donegal manager, it is O'Connor's fifth triumph across three spells at the Kingdom helm.

It also represents a hugely impressive turnaround for Kerry, who were written off in some quarters after a group-stage defeat by Meath that forced them to go through the preliminary quarter-finals.

But having comfortably seen off Cavan, Armagh and Tyrone, Kerry surged to the biggest All-Ireland final win since they beat Cork by 10 points in 2007.

Ferocious Kerry fly out of the blocks

Before the game, the consensus was that the year's two best teams had reached the final, but it was Kerry who lived up to the billing during a ferocious start as they built the foundations.

Indeed, when Seanie O'Shea stroked over a two-point free in the 15th minute after David Clifford was tripped by his marker Brendan McCole just outside the arc, Kerry led 0-12 to 0-4.

It was no more than they deserved. Straight from the throw-in, captain Gavin White won the ball and fed Dylan Geaney to score the opening point after 10 seconds.

While Oisin Gallen responded for Donegal, Sean O'Brien and White - who was outstanding - added to Kerry's early tally.

Trying to keep up with early Kingdom aggression, Caolan McGonagle - a late replacement for Hugh McFadden before throw-in - and Michael Murphy scored for Donegal either side of White's second.

But from there, Kerry continued to dominate the kick-out battle and were rewarded when they drove at the heart of the Donegal defence at speed.

At times, it was too much for Donegal to handle. After a point from Paudie Clifford - whose influence often went unchecked by Donegal - his brother David nailed successive two-pointers in quick succession before O'Brien stretched the lead to seven.

Gallen again offered Donegal a momentary reprieve with his second, but after O'Shea's two-point free was followed by another David Clifford score, Kerry led by nine.

To Donegal's credit, they clawed their way back in the second quarter, with Gallen, Conor O'Donnell and two Murphy scores coming in a period when McGuinness' side lost Ciaran Thompson to injury.

While the sides shared the next four scores to keep five points in it, Kerry delivered a post-hooter hammer blow to Donegal's hopes when David Clifford nailed his third - and his side's fourth - two-pointer of the half to establish a seven-point cushion at the interval.

Michael Murphy was denied the ultimate prize in his first season since coming out of retirement

While Donegal - who also lost influential wing-back Ryan McHugh through injury - needed quick scores after the restart, O'Shea and David Clifford extended Kerry's lead to nine points to leave the Tir Chonaill men with a mountain to climb.

But through five Murphy frees and Conor O'Donnell (2) and Shane O'Donnell's scores from play, Donegal outscored Kerry 0-8 to 0-3 from there to narrow the arrears to just four points with 15 minutes left.

That was as close as Donegal got, however, as Seanie O'Shea's two-point free and a fisted score from the excellent Paudie Clifford pushed Kerry clear once more.

While Donegal desperately scrambled for late inspiration, they had only a Daire O Baoill score to show for their efforts before David Clifford's point was followed by Joe O'Connor lashing the ball high into Shaun Patton's net.

O'Connor's strike capped a fine Kerry performance and completed a clean sweep of wins over Ulster opposition in the knockout stages after victories over Cavan, Armagh and Tyrone.

When the hooter sounded and O'Shea booted the ball into the crowd to spark wild celebrations among the Kerry fans, the Kingdom players celebrated jubilantly on the pitch after adding the Sam Maguire to their National League and Munster titles this year.

In a stark emotional contrast, however, the Donegal players fell to their knees as a first All-Ireland final appearance in 11 years ended in heartache.

Kerry scorers: David Clifford 0-9 (3 2pt), Seanie O'Shea 0-6 (2 2ptf, 1f), Paudie Clifford 0-3 (1 2pt), Gavin White and Dylan Geaney 0-3 each, Sean O'Brien 0-2, Joe O'Connor 1-0.

Donegal scorers: Michael Murphy 0-8 (6f), Conor O'Donnell 0-4, Oisin Gallen 0-3, Shane O'Donnell 0-2, Caolan McGonagle 0-1 and Daire O Baoill 0-1 each.

Line-ups

Kerry: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Brian O Beaglaoich, Mike Breen, Gavin White (capt); Sean O'Brien, Mark O'Shea; Joe O'Connor, Sean O'Shea, Graham O'Sullivan; Paudie Clifford, David Clifford, Dylan Geaney.

Subs: Diarmuid O'Connor for O'Brien (50), Killian Spillane for Geaney (54), Evan Looney for O Beaglaoich (63), Tadhg Morley for Breen (65), Michael Burns for O'Sullivan (69), Tom Leo O'Sullivan for Casey (70).

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Finnbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Caolan McColgan; Caolan McGonagle, Michael Langan; Shane O'Donnell, Ciaran Thompson, Ciaran Moore; Conor O'Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen.

Subs: Daire O Baoill for Thompson (23), Hugh McFadden for McColgan half-time, Jason McGee for McHugh (41), Patrick McBrearty (capt) for Gallen (50), Jamie Brennan for Gallagher (59).

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).

It is a 39th All-Ireland title for Kerry

Jim McGuinness fell short in his bid to win a second All-Ireland title as Donegal boss

David Clifford underlined his status as one of the game's greats with a 0-9 tally