Armagh 1-18 Kerry 1-16 (after extra-time) Barry McCambridge of Armagh celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Drama to the last drop, but this time Armagh were not the team to get squeezed out. No, the Orchard county have finally shown themselves and – perhaps more significantly, everyone else – that they can, and do win the tight ones.
After extra-time, and perhaps with the fear of another penalty shoot-out for a team that has lost four of them, Armagh held off Kerry for a two-point win that sends them to their first All-Ireland final since 2003. They will play either Galway or Donegal in a fortnight and whatever happens in that second semi-final, Kieran McGeeney will do well to dampen down expectations of a second All-Ireland title 22 years after he lifted Sam Maguire for their first in 2002. Armagh teams of late, all managed by Geezer, have often been accused – and with some justification – of choking on the pressure days, but as they eyeballed Kerry down the stretch in regulation time, and again in extra-time, the men in black were not for backing down this time.
It was Kerry who had to mine a late equaliser in the 71st minute to send the game to extra-time, but once Jarly Óg Burns kicked his team back into the lead three minutes into extra-time, Armagh would not be denied. In the maelstrom of those extra 20 minutes Armagh outscored Kerry by four points.
