Conor Loftus only entered the pitch in the 63rd minute of Mayo and Derry's second round qualifier game at MacHale Park on Saturday evening. Still, he did enough to merit the Man of the Match away in the eyes of RTÉ co-commentator Benny Tierney.
Loftus scored a stunning goal with just over 90 seconds to play, choosing to crash the ball beyond Derry keeper Ben McKinless rather than knock over a point to level the game. He would add a point shortly after, taking Mayo to a three-point lead and what looked like the game.
However, the drama was not over there. A lofted ball from Carlus McWilliams was punched to the Mayo net by Mark Lynch. The goal took the game to extra time. It was the culmination of a crazy finish to normal time.
Over the 20 minutes of extra-time, Mayo would overpower the Ulster side, eventually winning by 11 points. They would not have got that opportunity had it not been for Loftus' right boot.
