Second-half salvo sees Dublin drub Mayo

A blistering start to the second half helped Dublin power past Mayo in the last of the weekend's All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals at Croke Park.

The Metropolitans kicked 1-04 without reply just after half-time and effectively won a game that was evenly poised before that.

Indeed, Mayo were probably the better team in the first half but Dublin went in at the interval a point clear, thanks in part to a well taken goal from Colm Basquel after 18 minutes. The Ballyboden ace got on the end of a long ball, held off two defenders and crashed a shot past Colm Reape.

The Dubs needed that boost because Mayo were causing them a lot of problems at the other end, where the movement and ingenuity of Ryan O'Donoghue and Tommy Conroy gave Mayo an excellent attacking foothold.

Aidan O'Shea was also heavily involved in positive Mayo attacking play and the men from the west were finding a lot of room through the middle of the Dublin back division.

O'Donoghue ended the half with five points to his name, three of them from play, and Conroy weighed in with two of his own.

Dublin were winning the vast majority of their own kick-outs thanks to Stephen Cluxton's accuracy, but Mayo's tenacity around the middle meant they found little room in which to build attacking patterns.

Instead, they had to rely on the excellence of Cormac Costello, who was their shining light in the opening half. The Whitehall man looked dangerous whenever the ball came his way and Mayo's scramble defence was hard-pressed to keep him at bay.

The scores were tied as half-time approached, when a stray Mayo pass allowed Dublin in for a goal chance but they couldn't convert and James McCarthy swept over the lead score.

The Dubs began the second half brilliantly and built an eight-point