Magnus Breathnach, the myth and the legend.
Never has any footballer had a more influential 63rd minute of a club championship final, never mind a goalkeeper.
They’re calling it Roy of the Rovers stuff but Roy could only wish in his wildest dreams that he could one day be as great and as heroic as Magnus Breathnach.
Spiddal are Galway intermediate football champions and they’ve done it after 140 minutes of pulsating war with Connemara rivals Micheál Breathnach.
Imreoir láir páirce @CLG_AnSpideal Dara Mac an Rí ag glacadh le gradam sár-imreoir chluiche ceannais Idirmheánach Peile na Gaillimhe @Galway_GAA pic.twitter.com/cL1MTgievc
— RnaG Spórt (@SportRnaG) October 28, 2018
The replay ended in another draw, 1-10 apiece, and was forced to extra time by the influence of one man and one man alone.
With just minutes remaining, Micheál Breathnach had the chance to seal the championship but when the An An Spidéal goalkeeper got his hands on it – the hardest number one in the country – it was always perilous.
With their namesake Magnus Breathnach keeping out a spot kick, he was concocting his own fairytale.
The first half penalty save, in hindsight, kept his club alive.
The run upfield was desperation.
The shoulder to the ground of the opposition player who dared to stand in his way was sheer force of will.
Winning the free was skill.
Taking the free was ballsy.
Scoring it was magical.
In the space of 60 seconds, Magnus Breathnach had turned the fortunes of his club on their heads and ran the pitch, barged someone to turf, won a free and scored with the last kick of the game to drag his side into extra time.
From there? Spiddal went on and won the championship.
Roy of the Rovers stuff in @Galway_GAA Int final. This guy saves a peno, comes up the field and does this in injury time and then kicks the free over the bar to bring it to extra time. pic.twitter.com/VlmRiFiwev
— Ollie Sheridan (@thesherd) October 28, 2018
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