Down 1-16 to Kildare 1-14:Down are into the All-Ireland final, where they will meet Cork, but only just after a thrilling endgame at Croke Park. Down rode their luck deep in injury time as Robert Kelly's last gasp free-kick was pushed against the crossbar and crashed away to safety.
In truth, Down were the better team on the day and few neutrals among the 62,000 at GAA headquarters would deny they are deserving of their place in the decider. But, despite being six points to the good with 10 minutes to go, Down failed to close out the game effectively.
And Kildare simply refused to give up the ghost. An Eamonn Callaghan goal brought them right back into the contest before two massive Hugh Lynch points set up the late drama.
The will he, won’t he drama surrounding Dermot Earley’s availability continued right up until throw-in, with the big midfielder eventually being replaced in the starting line-up by Lynch.
Inevitably, Earley’s absence was always going to hurt Kildare but Kieran McGeeney’s side, notorious slow-starters, actually made a better fist of things in the opening stages as a nervy Down struggled to settle.
Points from Callaghan, James Kavanagh and the evergreen John Doyle kept Kildare ticking over until a controversial Benny Coulter goal sparked the Mourne men into life. Coulter had barely had a kick until he latched onto a long ball into the square and flicked the ball beyond Shane McCormack into the Kildare net.
As Coulter celebrated, referee Pat McEnaney consulted his umpires as to whether it had been a square ball. It clearly was, but the officials inexplicably allowed the goal to stand.
Buoyed by their good fortune, Down knocked over a couple more scores as Coulter, and in particular Marty Clarke, began to get the better of their markers. Both scored glorious points, with Coulter’s the pick of the bunch, as James McCartan’s side opened a 1-9 to 0-7 half-time lead.
Kildare came out firing in the second half, with Callaghan desperately unlucky to see one effort come back off the post, but could not get the better of their opponents around centrefield.
Clarke continued to pull the strings for Down, but when Callaghan finally got the goal he deserved Kildare came storming back. Trailing by two points, with the three minutes of injury time permitted already played, the Leinster side were awarded a free 13 metres from goal.
Up stepped Kelly, who blasted a magnificent shot goalwards only for Kalum King, one of nine Down players guarding the goal, to touch the ball onto the bar and away.
Kildare:S McCormack, P Kelly, H McGrillen, A MacLochlainn, M O'Flaherty (0-1), E Bolton (0-1), B Flanagan, D Flynn, H Lynch (0-2), J Kavanagh (0-1), P O'Neill, E O'Flaherty, J Doyle (0-6, 5 frees), A Smith, E Callaghan (1-1). Subs:R Sweeney for Flynn, K Ennis (0-1) for M O'Flaherty, D Lyons (0-1) for M O'Flaherty, R Kelly for Smith, T O'Connor for Lynch.
Down:B McVeigh, D McCartan, D Gordon, D Rafferty, D Rooney, K McKernan (0-2), C Garvey, P Fitzpatrick (0-1), K King; D Hughes (0-2), M Poland (0-3, 3 frees), P McComiskey (0-1), B Coulter (1-2), J Clarke, M Clarke (0-3, 2 frees). Subs:A Brannigan for Garvey, C Maginn (0-1) for J Clarke, R Murtagh (0-1) for McComiskey, J Colgan for Poland.
Referee:P McEnaney (Monaghan).