All-Ireland SFC: Derry beat Donegal and Monaghan see off Clare
- Published
Conor Doherty scored the first of three second-half goals for Derry
Ulster champions Derry put one foot in the All-Ireland quarter-finals with a 3-14 to 1-15 win over Donegal.
Derry held a 0-9 to 0-6 lead at half-time as both sides spurned numerous chances in Ballybofey.
Conor Doherty, Lachlan Murray and Paudie McGrogan scored second-half goals for Derry, while Rory O'Donnell netted a consolation goal for Donegal.
Earlier, Monaghan defeated Clare by 1-23 to 1-18 in Sunday's other Group Four encounter.
Monaghan and Derry are both on three points, while Donegal stay on two points and Clare are bottom after two defeats.
In Ballybofey, Derry led 0-9 to 0-6 at half-time but were made to work hard by the hosts, who missed numerous chances to peg the Ulster Champions back.
Padraig Cassidy and Benny Herron, moments after Shaun Patton made a strong save to deny the forward, put Derry two points up while, in contrast, Donegal hit three wides.
Conor O'Donnell got Donegal off and running and Oisin Gallen soon levelled for Aidan O'Rourke's side.
Patton produced another strong save to deny Cassidy but Derry retook the lead when Shane McGuigan kicked over.
The sides traded scores before a late flurry from Derry put their stamp on the half, but only after Odhran Lynch saved well from Jason McGee and Brendan Rogers managed to clear the rebound off the line as Donegal came inches away from the first goal.
McGuigan, Toner and Rogers put Derry in control, however two scores from the impressive Gallen kept Donegal in touch.
However, McGuigan's third point of the game restored the three-point margin at half-time.
Derry hit three goals after restart
Rogers soon extended Derry's lead but Patton responded as Donegal continued to stay in touch with their north-west rivals.
Doherty's goal on 46 minutes put Derry in control when he slammed the ball past Patton after racing onto Conor McCloskey's pass.
Gallen hit back for Donegal with his fifth score of the day, but Rogers responded and Cassidy extended the lead to six.
The in-form Gallen kicked three scores, two of which came from an advanced mark, to put a goal between the sides with 15 minutes to play.
However, Derry landed another devastating blow when Murray fisted home from close range with his first touch of the game on 57 minutes.
Patrick McBrearty and Gallen pulled points back, but Derry responded to their challenge when Cassidy fisted over and McGrogan capped a fine performance when he fired home a third goal on 66 minutes.
Mark Curran forced Lynch into a strong save as Donegal looked for a late response, and a deserved consolation goal came when O'Donnell netted in the 74th minute.
Monaghan hit back after a slow start in the first half
Monaghan see off Clare to boost hopes
In Clones, Clare managed to build a buffer during the early stages and led by four points after 15 minutes, thanks to Darragh Bohannon, Cathal O'Connor, Emmet McMahon and two scores each from Keelan Sexton and Mark McInerney.
However, Jack McCarron kicked three points to level the game at eight points each, and Karl Gallagher put Monaghan ahead for the first time.
Clare nudged in front once again, but were lucky to escape when Conor McCarthy had a goal chance saved and Rory Beggan knocked over the a 45 in first-half injury-time to level the match at 0-10 to 0-10.
McCarron got the hosts up and running after the restart but it was Clare who struck the first goal when Bohannon netted nine minutes into the second half.
Despite the goal, Monaghan stayed in touch with consistent scoring and soon hit the front, and their second-half dominance was rounded out when McCarthy netted in the final minute of normal time.
The win puts Vinny Corry's side in a strong position to progress, while Clare remain rooted to the bottom of Group Four with their second defeat.