Derry have booked their place in the All-Ireland semi-finals, defeating Cork on a scoreline of 1-12 to 1-8 at Croke this afternoon.
The Ulster county entered the fixture as sizeable favourites, with most onlookers feeling that they would have too much for the opposition on this occasion.
The game itself was a very strange one. Both sides were very deliberate in their approach, putting an emphasis on not allowing their opponent to create scoring opportunities. That made it a very difficult game to watch at times.
Both Derry and Cork were happy to sit back and soak up pressure, then attempting to create something on the break after turning over possession. As a result, they were often long scoreless spells over the course of the contest.
In the end, Derry's ability to make the most of the scoring opportunities that fell their way was the difference between the teams.
Maguire and Doherty hit the net within a minute. Cork had been back to within a point briefly
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They will now prepare for an All-Ireland semi-final in two weeks time.
Joe Brolly unimpressed with spectacle of Derry vs Cork
Many of those who watched this game either at home in Croke Park will no doubt come away underwhelmed with the quality of the product on show. It certainly paled in comparison to some of the football played by other counties in recent weeks.
Joe Brolly was among those unexcited by the brand of football used on the day.
The Derry man has been a vocal critic of the conservative nature of the tactics used by many teams at inter-county level at the minute, with this being no exception. He took to Twitter during the game to say that he had turned to eating sweets in order to entertain himself.
This is so boring. I’m just eating fruit pastilles now.
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) July 2, 2023
Damning.
What's more, he doesn't even like fruit pastilles.
I don’t even like fruit pastilles
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) July 2, 2023
When he was told that the contest had been labelled as an 'intriguing' one by the RTÉ commentary team, he had a predictable response.
Fuck me
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) July 2, 2023
This game certainly would have done little to excite the masses, although Derry will care little about that as they continue into the latter stages of the championship.
Joe Brolly will no doubt have the fruit pastilles on hand once again for their semi-final in a couple of weeks.
SEE ALSO: Tomás Ó Sé Cracked Up Lee Keegan With Dig At Tyrone After Kerry Loss
