Rob Hennelly earned 14-man Mayo an unlikely draw with Donegal in a spiky Allianz League opener, with the goalkeeper slotting a free in the fourth minute of injury time.
It was the third successive occasion that the sides have shared the League points after stalemates in 2018 and ‘20, while Mayo won the Championship encounter between the sides in 2019. All told, it leaves Donegal without a victory against James Horan’s side stretching back five games in 2016.
It looked an unlikely prospect midway through the second half when Mayo captain Stephen Coen conceded a penalty and was sent off, with Donegal holding a three-point lead at the time.
But Hennelly saved Paddy McBrearty’s spot-kick and though Donegal hit the next two points, Mayo reeled off five without reply coming down the stretch to earn the draw.
On a miserable afternoon in Sligo, the venue due to MacHale Park being out of bounds, Donegal played with the considerable breeze in their favour and started with a zest that Mayo couldn’t match as they built a 0-5 to 0-1 lead by the 12th minute, with Michael Murphy slotting a pair of scores from a free and a mark.
Rob Hennelly was also twice called into action to deny Donegal goals in the first quarter but the Ulster side suffered something of a mid-half slump, going 18 minutes without a score, a large chunk of which Murphy was off the field with an injury.
Ryan McHugh and Michael Langan got the scoreboard moving again approaching half-time and Mayo weren’t threatening from play at all at the other end, largely relying on Ryan O’Donoghue frees for pots at the posts, with the strong breeze cutting down his scoring range.
But Eoghan McLoughlin got forward from wing-back to kick a fine point just before the half-time whistle, a rare effort from open play for the Connacht champions, leaving them 0-7 to 0-3 behind at the break.
Mayo didn’t look like making significant inroads in the third quarter with Donegal remaining largely in control and they looked set to put the matter beyond doubt when Coen pulled Murphy back by the shorts to concede a 52nd minute penalty, earning a second yellow card in the process.
Surprisingly, Murphy didn’t take the penalty- perhaps thoughts of his crucial miss against Tyrone last year remain fresh - and Hennelly comfortably saved from McBrearty to his left.
Murphy slotted the resultant 45, however, and Michael Langan tagged on another, his fourth of the day, to make it 0-11 to 0-6 with 14 minutes remaining.
Donegal didn’t register another score, though, as Mayo slowly reeled them in with the game become increasingly tempestuous with referee Noel Mooney repeatedly reaching for his book and Donegal finished with 14 themselves after Jeaic MacCeallbhui black-carded in the last minute of normal time.
By then Mayo, backed by the breeze, were a point in arrears and when Donegal ‘keeper Shaun Patton got caught in possession, a free was awarded to on the left flank, allowing his opposite number Hennelly to slot the equaliser.
MAYO: Rob Hennelly (0-1f); Brendan Harrison, Stephen Coen, Padraig O’Hora; Paddy Durcan (0-2), Donnacha McHugh, Eoghan McLaughlin (0-1); Conor O’Shea, Conor Loftus; Fionn McDonagh, Aiden Orme, Diarmuid O’Connor; Tommy Conroy, Jason Doherty (0-3), Ryan O’Donoghue (0-4, 0-3f).
Subs: Aidan O’Shea for Orme (HT), Bryan Walsh for McDonagh (HT), Sam Callinan for McHugh (48), Jordan Flynn for Ward (51), Paul Towey for Conor O’Shea (69).
DONEGAL: Shaun Patton; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Caolan Ward, Brendan McCole; Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Paul Brennan, Tony McClenaghan; Caolan McGonagle, Ciaran Thompson; Ryan McHugh (0-1), Peadar Mogan, Michael Langan (0-4); Patrick McBrearty (0-1f), Michael Murphy (0-4, 0-1m, 0-1f, 0-1 ‘45’), Conor O’Donnell (0-1).
Subs: Jason McGee for Thompson (10), Jeaic MacCeallbhui for Ward (51), Niall O’Donnell for O’Donnell (57), Ethan O’Donnell for McClenaghan (59), Eunan Doherty for McFadden-Ferry (63).
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