Eleven points behind six minutes into the second half, Armagh stormed back to beat Dublin by 2-24 to 1-25 at Croke Park.

The excellent Oisin Conaty tore through to blast the clinching goal to the net five minutes from the end of a thriller as Kieran McGeeney’s charges finished strongest to take the points and draw level with Dublin on the Division One table, boosting their survival hopes significantly.

Ballinteer St Johns ace Luke Breathnach was the star turn in the first half, with Dublin giving themselves a commanding 1-15 to 1-6 interval buffer.

Ger Brennan’s men hit the ground running as a trio of Niall Scully points and Ross McGarry’s goal put them five points clear inside four minutes, 1-3 to 0-1. Ben Crealy replied in between points from Scully and Paddy Small after Killian McGinnis hit the hosts’ fourth point.

Breathnach confidently notched a couple of tidy scores, making it 1-8 to 0-4 after 20 minutes, but a fantastic Cian McConville run and finish to the net two minutes later brought the Orchard County back to within four. Small and the irrepressible Breathnach replied for the Liffeysiders as Armagh coughed up a couple of presentable scoring chances in between.

Breathnach (two), Small and a Sean Bugler two-pointer closed out the first-half scoring as the winners led by nine at the interval.

Jarlath Og Burns was black-carded during the half-time break and the second half resumed with a tap-over Dublin free in front of the posts, converted by Scully. Bugler and Eoin Kennedy tacked on points either side of a converted McConville free, substitute Oisin O’Neill and Conaty reducing the arrears before the former succeeded from a two-pointer free – 1-18 to 1-11.

McGinnis points were cancelled out in turn by All Star Conaty and Ross McQuillan; the brilliant Jason Duffy and McConville hit singles to make it a five-point game with 20 minutes remaining on Jones Road. Small steadied the Dubs but it was back to a four-point contest with 15 minutes left courtesy of Thomas McCormack and Conor Turbitt.

Substitute Turbitt then struck a wonderful two-pointer before Oisin O’Neill’s free left the minimum between the sides. With temperatures rising, Dublin’s Brian Howard and Armagh’s Tiernan Kelly were shown red cards twelve minutes from time. When Kennedy and Cormac Costello -  who had replaced the injured Breathnach - struck for the hosts, McQuillan and O’Neill replied, the latter having seen a goal effort repelled by Hugh O’Sullivan.

Super-fit Armagh now had all the momentum and smelling blood they finished in style, McConville bringing them level before Conaty hammered to the roof of the net and McQuillan extended the lead to four with a fisted finish. Paddy Small’s two-pointer halved the difference and Costello’s last-ditch attempt at a leveller flew right and wide as the Orchard County triumphed dramatically and deservedly.

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