Armagh ends 18-year Ulster wait with extra-time win over Monaghan

Armagh ended an 18-year wait for an Ulster Senior Football Championship title with a dramatic 2-28 to 0-25 victory over Monaghan after extra time at St. Tiernach's Park in Clones. The win marks the county's first provincial championship since 2008, breaking a run of three consecutive final defeats.

The contest was a tense, back-and-forth affair from the outset. Monaghan started strongly, building an early lead, but Armagh responded with a scoring burst to take a narrow 0-13 to 0-11 advantage into halftime. The Orchard County appeared to seize control early in the second half, extending their lead to seven points before Tiernan Kelly finished a precise pass from Darragh McMullen to score the game's first goal.

Monaghan, however, mounted a stirring comeback in the final quarter. Inspired by substitute Jack McCarron and Stephen O'Hanlon, who both scored crucial long-range points, the Farney men erased the deficit to level the scores at 1-21 to 0-24 by the end of normal time, sending the final to extra time for the fifth consecutive year and the fourth straight year involving Armagh.

The additional period belonged decisively to Armagh. Oisín O'Neill scored a critical goal early in...