Brilliant Limerick defeated Cork by 3-32 to 2-31 after extra time in an epic Croke Park encounter to seal an All-Ireland final date with either Galway or Clare.

The winners' bench was the difference - especially Shane Dowling (1-4) - while Aaron Gillane also stood up to be counted as they clawed back a six-point deficit and outscored the tiring Munster champions by 2-12 to 1-5 from the 60^th-minute onwards to reach a first final in eleven years.

Dowling and fellow sub Pat Ryan netted stunning goals at the Hill 16 end during the second period of extra time as the Treaty finally snuffed out Cork's fading challenge.

The losers - who have now lost six of their last seven semi-finals - led by six points with seven minutes left but took their foot off the gas and Limerick reeled off seven unanswered points through Gillane (five), Kyle Hayes and Dowling to almost nick it only for Patrick Horgan's pointed free in the fourth minute of injury time to tie the scores up for the 13^th time and force extra time - 1-27 each at the end of normal time.

With HQ a seething cauldron of vibrant red and green and an atmosphere that would do justice to All-Ireland final day itself, we were treated to yet another simply unbelievably match.

Cian Lynch's injury-time shot to the roof of the Cork net assured Limerick of a narrow 1-12 to 0-14 lead at the end of an evenly-contested opening period. The Munster champions had rolled their sleeves up to force their way into a two-point lead but Lynch's finish left them ruing ten first-half wides.

Darragh O'Donovan and Gearoid Hegarty respectively cancelled out early Cork points from Horgan (free) and Seamus Harnedy, and Darragh Fitzgibbon restored the Leesiders' advantage before the Treaty edged 0-5 to 0-3 ahead with a run of quickfire points from Diarmuid Byrnes (free), Hegarty and Gillane.

Horgan's second pointed free halved the deficit and Limerick almost got in for a goal when Gillane caught brilliantly to face Anthony Nash in a one-on-one … but the corner forward had dropped his hurl and had to use his boot - the shot flew over. Seamus Flanagan replied to a second Harnedy strike as John Kiely's men led by seven points to five after 15 minutes.

A flurry of excellent points from Shane Kingston, Daniel Kearney and Mark Coleman nudged the Rebels back in front but Gillane's free made it 0-8 apiece after 21 minutes. Following an exchange of frees, Christopher Joyce doubled Cork's advantage and Gillane kicked a shot left and wide but an excellent Graeme Mulcahy brace from either wing had the teams level again before the Kilmallock ace cancelled out a speculative Horgan point that was very nearly a Cork goal.

Nickie Quaid diverted a Kingston rasper over the bar and it was 0-13 to 0-11 when Coleman eased a sideline cut between the uprights at the Hill 16 end from beneath the Hogan Stand. Tom Morrissey and Kearney traded points and Lynch's goal brought an end to what was a fascinating opening half of hurling.

Limerick's Pat Ryan celebrates his goal. ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson.

With an attendance of 71,073 kept guessing as the action resumed, Comor Lehane tied the scores up again following an exchange between Fitzgibbon and Hegarty; Kearney cancelled out a Gillane effort before Cian Lynch flicked over the latest Limerick lead point on 40 minutes - 1-15 to 0-17.

Opposing midfielder Fitzgibbon had them level for the eleventh time and Lehane's point preceded a vital Nash save from Lynch before Mulcahy replied to a pointed Horgan free. The gap was two as Horgan popped over another free on 46 minutes and his sixth pointed free of the day made it 0-22 to 1-16 as John Meyler's men started to dominate.

Horgan (free) replied to a Gillane point from play and the latter pointed a free before Lehane's magnificent goal gave the Rebel County a five-point lead at the three-quarters stage: the Cork No.11 cut in from the right and looked set to take his point as the angle narrowed but he backed himself and drilled a bullet to the roof of the net - 1-23 to 1-18!

Lehane followed up with a sensational point from the left sideline and substitute Dowling's stunning brace had the gap back to four with an hour played only for Luke Meade and Fitzgibbon to restore the Rebels' six-point advantage as we moved to the 62-minute mark.

But two Gillane frees either side of a Kyle Hayes point halved the arrears as the Treaty County eased within three again with four minutes left… A brilliant Gillane free was followed by a Dowling point in the 70^th minute and a brace of Gillane frees dramatically had the Treaty back in front only for Horgan (free) to rescue the Leesiders and force extra time.

In between, with Harnedy about to pull the trigger, Quaid made an amazing save to deny the Munster champions a match-winning major. That magical dispossession from the Limerick goalkeeper was nothing short of sensational.

Horgan (free) and Gillane (lashing a goal chance over) traded the first two points when the action resumed and Dowling's fourth edged Limerick back in front. Gillane's free was cancelled out by a Horgan one as the Shannonsiders led by the minimum at half time in extra time. Cork lost both Harnedy and Fitzgibbon to injury.

Four minutes into the second period of extra time, Dowling placed a penalty - won by himself - in the top left corner of the Cork net to give his side a four-point lead. Two minutes later, fellow sub Ryan lobbed a delightful finish to the top corner to edge the winners seven clear.

Subs David Reidy and Barry Nash also got in on the scoring act for Limerick, who won't lose any sleep over a late, late Quaid fumble from a Horgan free that gifted the luckless losers a last-gasp consolation goal.

Limerick - N Quaid; S Finn, M Casey, R English; D Byrnes (0-1f), D Hannon, D Morrissey; D O'Donovan (0-1), C Lynch (1-1); G Hegarty (0-3), K Hayes (0-1), T Morrissey (0-1); A Gillane (0-13, 7f), S Flanagan (0-1), G Mulcahy (0-4). Subs: P Casey for T Morrissey, S Dowling (1-4, 1-0pen) for S Flanagan, P Ryan (1-0) for G Mulcahy, W O'Donoghue for D O'Donovan, S Hickey for D Byrnes, B Nash (0-1) for A Gillane, D Reidy (0-1) for D Hannon.

Cork - A Nash; S O'Donoghue, D Cahalane, C Spillane; C Joyce (0-1), E Cadogan, M Coleman (0-2, 1sl); B Cooper, D Fitzgibbon (0-4); D Kearney (0-3), C Lehane (1-3), L Meade (0-1); S Kingston (0-3), S Harnedy (0-2), P Horgan (1-11, 0-9f). Subs: R O'Flynn for S Kingston, M Ellis for D Kearney, T O'Mahony for L Meade, M Cahalane for E Cadogan, D Kearney for M Cahalane, M Cahalane for S Harnedy, S Kingston for D Fitzgibbon, J O'Connor (0-1) for D Kearney. 

Referee - P O'Dwyer.

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