The Orchard County triumphed by a single point with a score of 1-11 to 0-13. Ciaran McGeeney, coaching his home county, led Armagh to their first All-Ireland victory in 22 years, having also won the title as a player in 2002.


Aaron McKay, who came on as a substitute, scored the game’s only goal in the 46th minute. Galway nearly levelled the score near the end but fell just short by one point.


An emotional Jarlath Burns delivered a stirring speech from the Hogan Stand, handing the Sam Maguire to Armagh’s captain Aidan Forker and congratulating his son, Jarly Óg.


Before conceding the goal, Galway had lost seven leads but didn’t trail until the 47th minute. At that point, substitute Stefan Campbell’s hand-pass set up McKay for a decisive goal.


This goal gave Armagh a two-point lead after trailing by two points early in the second half. As the game opened up, Rian O’Neill and Shane Walsh, who had quiet first halves, began to shine. O’Neill scored a beautiful point in the 41st minute, followed by an equally impressive effort from Walsh a minute later.


Walsh’s free kick nullified a Tiernan Kelly point just before McKay’s goal. Cein Darcy’s third point cut the lead to two, but Armagh responded with points from Niall Grimley and Oisín O’Neill.


Despite erratic shooting, Galway pulled within a point in the penultimate minute of normal time, thanks to scores from Matthew Tierney and Cillian McDaid. However, they couldn’t find an equalizer. Walsh’s long-range free fell short, and McHugh’s outside-of-the-boot attempt hit the post and went wide.

The first half saw the teams level five times, finishing 0-6 each. Galway repeatedly took the lead, only for Armagh to pull them back. The period was largely uneventful, marked by notable shots from midfielders Paul Conroy and Ben Crealey, and the presence of an injured seagull on the field.


Galway’s scores came from deliberate build-up play, while Armagh’s were more reactive or spontaneous. A notable exception was Céin Darcy’s point in the 20th minute, following a slick move after winning a free from a kick-out.


Five minutes later, Armagh captain Aidan Forker revived a faltering attack with a superb point to level the score once more.


Maher and McCambridge exchanged points, and after another fine effort from Conroy, Crealey equalized in the final minute of added time.


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Hello reader, I'm Ben. I love to write and talk about sports and I am, unfortunately, hopeless at golf. Thanks for reading! 

Ben Lynch