- Written by Ora Bannon
- BBC Sport NI at Celtic Park
Jim McGuinness further cemented his reputation as one of the greatest managers of our time by leading Donegal to a stunning 4-11 to 0-17 victory over Derry at Celtic Park.
Donegal scored three goals in the second half to power home, ending Derry's bid to win a third consecutive Ulster title.
Dare Obaoile chipped Audran Lynch twice before goals from Oisín Gallen and Jamie Brennan sealed a memorable win.
Donegal will face either Tyrone or Cavan in the Ulster semi-final next Sunday.
History repeats itself for Hart.
Derry have a month left to regroup for the All-Ireland series after McGuinness gave Derry manager Mickey Hart another horrifying episode of déjà vu. Hearts are yet to beat the Donegal giants in Championship football.
McGuinness defeated Hart's Tyrone team three years in a row in the Ulster Championship from 2011 to 2013, but his new Donegal team was not ready to beat an experienced and established Derry team in the first year of his second term. It was not expected that
McGuinness's return to the Donegal sideline after a 10-year hiatus coincides with the surprise appointment of Tyrone legend Hart as Derry manager this year, with a clash between the two sides set to feature in the first round of the Ulster Championship. It was meant to be interesting.
And the game itself did not disappoint.
A high-octane, high-quality match that was primarily dominated by the Division 2 Champion, with the Division 2 Champion dropping very deep and breaking with speed, yet still able to mark the Division 1 Champion's best players out of the game. I did.
Conor Glass and Shane McGuigan have often been key figures in Derry's impressive run over the past few years, but they have been peripheral figures and, as Donegal so brilliantly demonstrated, there was no plan B.
Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Jason McGee and Dare Ó Baoyle produced superb performances for Donegal, who beat the hot favorites and greatly increased their chances of winning the Ulster Championship.
Der Obaoile lobbed twice to stranded Derry goalkeeper Odran Lynch, one in the second half, and Oisín Gallen converted the penalty after Chrissy McKaig fouled Shane O'Donnell, giving Donegal a penalty. They led by an incredible 7 points, 3-8 to 0-10.
As the jubilant Donegal fans could not believe their eyes, Jamie Brennan completed the rout by driving the ball into the net, stopping any further Donegal fight-back.
Donegal turned a narrow 1-7 to 0-9 lead into a stunning six-point victory that will live long in the memories of the 14,714 who packed Celtic Park.
image source, Getty Images
The game started the way most of Derry's games have started this year, with Oakleafers setting the terms and doing things their way.
Ethan Doherty scored the first of his three goals in the second minute of the first half and Paul Cassidy completed a remarkable display with Derry's second goal after some impressive ball keeping by the Division One league champions.
Already it looked like Donegal were chasing the shadows, but the game exploded when Odran Lynch saved Caolan McGonagle's shot on goal.
Suddenly, Donegal started playing with purpose, confidence and belief, making it 1-4 without a response in eight glorious minutes.
The central figure was Ryan McHugh, who seized the opportunity and broke through with his speed, running through the line and kicking a point from the play-off with both feet.
He was also heavily involved in O Baoil's goal, pouncing on a loose ball hit by Derry's kick-out and slipping the ball to O Baoil, who had the vision and precision to chip a stranded Lynch.
Donegal were leading 1-4 to 0-3 after 19 minutes, and Derry, who were not used to chasing the game, responded by making two substitutions, Gareth Mackinless and Niall Toner.
image source, Getty Images
The 15 minutes before half-time were a delicate balance with the teams exchanging points, and it was expected that Derry would go into the game with a new direction.
Instead, it was Donegal who picked up where they left off.
When O Baoil hit Lynch for the second lob, lightning struck twice. The sweeper keeper was clearly unfazed by conceding the first goal.
McHugh was once again involved in the move that led to Gallen's penalty, sending a nice floater over the top to Ó Baoil.
After Donegal were temporarily reduced to 14 men due to Niall O'Donnell's black card, Derry looked good with goals from Lachlan Murray and Shane McGuigan, but Brennan's goal after 64 minutes put them ahead. Ta.
No one had ever seen Donegal put in such a performance and be able to sustain it for an entire match, but Derry will have a lot to reflect on after a heartbreaking defeat, but there's no doubt , will still have a big say in the All-Ireland series once the dust falls. Settle into an unforgettable evening at Celtic Park.
