Monaghan travelled to Tyrone with a tough task ahead of them in the Ulster senior football championship quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.
Tyrone had home advantage for the clash and at half-time it seemed as though they were set to put that to good use, with a five-point advantage thanks in no small part to an early goal from Darragh Canavan.
They were to face a spirited Monaghan rally after the break, however, and Tyrone's advantage was slowly chipped away as the second half moved along. A goal from Stephen O'Hanlon handed them the lead midway through the second period, and the sides exchanged scores for the remainder of normal time.
Monaghan knew it would take something special to defeat the 2021 All-Ireland champions. Something special was what they got from championship debutant Ryan O'Toole. As the teams entered injury time, a super score from Darren McCurry seemed to have given Tyrone the win, before O'Toole burst down the field and finished a sensational goal to win the game at the death for Monaghan.
Deep in injury, down by a point, the 23-year-old Championship debutante actually went for goal here
Back yourself, lads!!! pic.twitter.com/a2YnW1nrZx— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) April 16, 2023
The decision to take on the shot was a bold one - with BBC's punditry team staggered by the bravery of O'Toole in taking on such an important shot rather than simply fisting the ball over the bar.
His Monaghan teammate Conor McManus, however, had every faith that O'Toole would finish with aplomb, referencing a goal he scored during the league campaign against Mayo.
Monaghan v Tyrone: Ryan O'Toole an instant hero with injury-time winner
Ryan O'Toole's dramatic winner for Monaghan in Tyrone on Sunday afternoon was one of the most thrilling finishes to a championship game in recent years.
Ryan O'Toole wins a thrilling Ulster football game with an injury-time goal for Monaghan against Tyrone
📱 Updates - https://t.co/5komsjbOmS
📺 Watch - https://t.co/ZfZ9mA9XTY pic.twitter.com/RJeeEtYqC7— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 16, 2023
Making his debut in the Ulster championship, O'Toole was brave in taking on the shot at goal. He backed himself up with his finish, and man-of-the-match Conor McManus said to RTÉ post match that he had no doubt that O'Toole would score:
He scored a goal, the exact same one, against Mayo only three weeks ago in the league. I had every faith he was going to score.
Speaking on the BBC, Oisin McConville said that he had not had the same confidence that O'Toole would score, and said it was a testament to his character that he decided to take on the shot:
I'm just wondering did Ryan O'Toole know what the score was in that moment, and what that context was. I'm thinking that if he knows and he still goes for it...that's courage of your own convictions for a young lad making his debut.
A fairly special win for Monaghan, and a day that Ryan O'Toole will certainly never forget.
SEE ALSO: Fantastic Five-Goal Kerry Hammer Galway In Division 1 Final
