Donegal set up a repeat of the 2014 All-Ireland SFC decider with a ruthless dismissal of Meath in the weekend’s second semi-final.
A trio of second-half goals from Oisín Gallen, Ciaran Moore and Conor O’Donnell saw them deliver a bracing reality check for the Leinster finalists, whose unexpected adventure came to a crushing conclusion.
The writing had probably been on the wall well before that, Meath having made poor use of the breeze in the first half, blazing six two-point efforts wide of the posts, with further shots missed from inside the arc.
Donegal’s five-point half-time lead looked ominous in the circumstances and the goals from Gallen and Moore before the 50th minute killed the contest entirely, the game petering out from there as the Ulster champions ran up the score.
The 20-point margin at the finish was the largest in over three decades, equalling Cork’s 5-15 to 0-10 win over Mayo in 1993.
It was a far cry from the buzz and anticipation beforehand. The Dorset Street footpath was clogged with supporters from early afternoon, with those in Meath jerseys accounting for the clear majority.
From the outside, the county’s sudden re-emergence at Gaelic football’s top table was like a long dead villain in a soap being brought back to life. 2025’s version of Dirty Den.
Conditions were markedly cooler than the Orlando-style weather on Saturday, with a healthy breeze whipping down towards the Canal Stand.
Ciaran Moore drills home Donegal’s second goal
Donegal, as Jim McGuinness confirmed afterwards, won the toss and opted to play against the wind in the first half.
Meath started as they would go on, Sean Coffey missing an opportunity after tearing through the middle, his shot clipping off the left-hand post and wide.
The Ulster champions settled early, Michael Murphy and Conor O’Donnell swinging over early scores.
Eoghan Frayne landed Meath’s first two-pointer from the right hand-side to nose them in front on 0-03 to 0-02. But the lead changed hands swiftly as Mathew Costello was harshly penalised in a costly spot on the edge of the arc and Murphy expertly swung over the resulting free. It was to be Donegal’s only two-pointer on a day when they showed little interest in seeking them out.
Donegal were dominating on breaking ball in the middle third and methodically working scores, Shane O’Donnell and Ryan McHugh getting on the end of moves to make it 6-3.
Ruairí Kinsella hit back with a two-point score to reduce the gap back to the minimum. Meath had been among the keenest and prolific two-point shooters in 2025 but this proved their undoing.
They snatched at a host of two-point shots for the rest of the first half, Jordan Morris, Frayne and Kinsella among the guilty parties.
Largely due to errant Meath shooting, there was a nine-point lull in the scoring between the 15th and 24th minutes, during which Bryan Menton hobbled off after injuring himself contesting a hospital pass from Morris.
Donegal put on a spurt then, hitting 0-04 without reply, through Michael Langan, Murphy, Gallen and Ciaran Thompson, the latter grazing off the crossbar after being slightly mis-hit.
Tightening their strangehold on midfield, the goal chances started to arrive for Donegal. Donal Keogan, covering behind Billy Hogan on the line, repelled a shot from Conor O’Donnell.
A shot that rebounded off the post fell to Hugh McFadden but Hogan saved well at his feet.
Wing-forward Keith Curtis, who’d scored Meath’s sixth point, finally swung over their seventh 17 minutes later.
The quarter-final hero Morris, after several misses, landed his only point to pull it back to a three-point game but the half concluded with further points from Gallen and Murphy to leave it 0-13 to 0-08 at the break.
Michael Langan and Conor Gray tussle for possession in the middle
Keith Curtis and Eoghan Frayne floated over early second-half scores for Meath but it was a false dawn.
In the 42nd minute, Shaun Patton – whose shorter range kickouts had caused problems for his team in the first half – sent a booming delivery beyond the Meath half-back line.
Caolan McColgan raced onto the bouncing ball and cut inside towards goal. He fed Gallen, who stepped outside a tackle onto his left peg and rifled a shot into the top corner.
Oisín Gallen’s fabulous finish results in a goal for Donegal
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There was now clear water between the teams, Murphy tagging on another point before being hauled ashore as a precaution. His replacement Paddy McBrearty lobbed over a point almost immediately on his introduction, his first of three.
Just before the 50th minute, Curtis, with 0-03 to his name, slipped as he wound up for a point attempt. Finbarr Roarty pounced and stripped away possession. Donegal mounted a devastating counter, initially up the right side.
Ciaran Moore, the match-winner in Hyde Park, knifed through the heart of the defence and drilled a low shot to Hogan’s left. At 2-16 to 0-11, the contest was over.
Meath’s morale destroyed, their play deteriorated further and the wides kept accumulating. Robbie Brennan admitted afterwards that the belief had seeped out of the team at this stage, which was “understandable”.
Hogan had to pull off a fingertip save from McBrearty to prevent a third goal but Patton stroked over the subsequent ’45’.
But the third would eventually come just prior to the hour mark, after McBrearty and O’Donnell had tagged on points.
The goal chance appeared to have been shut down but Gallen turned down a handy point in order to angle a low pass into Conor O’Donnell’s clutches and he fired to the net with Meath defenders diving in vain around him.
The last 10 minutes were a procession as Meath fans made for the exits, Moore, Langan, Thompson and Daire Ó Baoill tagging on points to put even more gloss on the scoreboard.
By the end, no semi-final margin had been higher since Kerry beat Monaghan 5-14 to 0-07 in 1979.
Meath depart the championship on the bum note and will hope to bank the gains from a summer which saw them improbably beat Dublin, Kerry and Galway.
McGuinness and his charges are set for another final date with Kerry, the same opposition which confronted the manager in the last game of his momentous first reign 11 years ago.
Meath: Billy Hogan; Seamus Lavin, Seán Rafferty (0-01), Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Seán Coffey, Ciarán Caulfield; Bryan Menton, Adam O’Neill; Conor Duke (0-01), Ruairí Kinsella (0-03, 1tp), Keith Curtis (0-03); Jordan Morris (0-01), Mathew Costello (0-01, 1f), Eoghan Frayne (0-05, 1tp, 1f).
Subs: Conor Gray for Menton (20), Eoin Harkin for O’Neill (45), James McEntee for Lavin (50), Brian O’Halloran for Curtis (56), Shane Walsh for Kinsella (62)
Donegal: Shaun Patton (0-01, 1 ’45); Finbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan (0-01); Ryan McHugh (0-01), Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Caolan McColgan; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan (0-04); Shane O’Donnell (0-01), Ciaran Thompson (0-02), Ciaran Moore (1-01); Conor O’Donnell (1-03), Michael Murphy (0-06, 1tpf, 1f), Oisin Gallen (1-02).
Subs: Paddy McBrearty (0-03) for Murphy (45), Jason McGee for McFadden (50), Caolan McGonagle for McColgan (51), Daire Ó Baoill (0-01) for McHugh (54), Odhrán McFadden Ferry for Mogan (58)
Referee: Paul Faloon (Down)
