Cork produced a brilliant second-half comeback at MacCumhaill Park to defeat Donegal by 0-17 to 1-13 and advance to the All-Ireland senior football championship quarter-finals.

Steven Sherlock proved the hero for the Munster side as they tore up the script for their county's first win in Donegal since 1998 to seal a Croke Park berth in two weeks’ time and send their opponents into Monday morning’s Round 3 draw.

Jim McGuinness’s side opened a 0-7 to 0-3 lead after 20 minutes with the help of scores from Ryan McHugh, Michael Murphy and Oisin Gallen before netting the game’s only goal.

The green flag came via Conor O’Donnell 10 minutes before the break, as Cork’s response at the other end would be a two-point free from marksman Steven Sherlock which saw the margin at five when the sides went in.

Murphy, Michael Langan and Gallen stretched the Tir Chonaill lead to 1-10 to 0-6 within 10 minutes of the restart in Ballybofey. 

Another Sherlock free from beyond the arc kept the Leesiders in the hunt and they’d narrow their deficit to a goal thanks to points from Conor Corbett, Sherlock (‘45’) and Ian Maguire.

Back-to-back two-pointers via Luke Fahy and Tommy Walsh then steered John Cleary’s men ahead for the first time with six minutes remaining before Jason McGee tied things up for the hosts.

The next score was crucial and it went the way of the Rebels, with Sherlock doing the business again from long distance to bring his personal tally to 0-9 and send his team into the All-Ireland quarter-finals in the process.

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