Matthew Murray double fires Cork City to Munster Senior Cup after extra time against Rockmount
Cork City's Matthew Murray celebrates his goal against Rockmount. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Matthew Murray got both goals as Cork City defeated Rockmount in the 2026 Munster Senior Cup final at the Munster FA Turner’s Cross Stadium.
A free header from the forward was the difference between the two sides in extra-time, in a game that saw Eoin Murphy equalise at the start of the second half.
The victory is Cork City’s 20th overall in the competition and their first since 2019, and the game was won by the U20s managed by Colm Bermingham and Greg Bolger.
The Rebel Army were out to take control, and they began with Murray firing wide inside the first minute. Rockmount pushed up in response and an advance that included a long throw from Eoin Murphy included a penalty appeal for a handball that was waved on.
City remained in control, with Dara McCormick putting a free-kick wide and Murray hitting a low pass from Brody Lee over the bar. He followed that up by picking off a misplaced pass in midfield and running through. Adam Crowley brought down the Republic of Ireland U17 international and the resulting free-kick was curled wide by Murray.
The Rebel Army kept going and won their third corner in the 34th minute. McCormick’s set piece came off the crossbar for Finn Dalton to knock on for Murray, who was able to fire in from right in front of the posts at the Shed End.
Rockmount responded with an advance on the right wing that ended with a Luke Hurley pass turned shot getting stopped by AJ Nash at the St Anne’s End.
The Rebel Army led at the break, and any sense of comfort was gone when Barry O’Mahony teed up Eoin Murphy for a right-legged strike that suck in at the near post within seconds of the restart at the Shed End.
Things slowed down after this, as City looked shell-shocked given the time of the equaliser.
Things got going again in the 75th minute as a passage of play held together by Tom McGrath saw Matthew Kiernan denied by a scrambling tackle inside the area.
Eoin Murphy hit back with a free-kick in the 82nd minute at the Shed End, only to see his effort headed away by the City defence.
The Rebel Army went long as they tried to create an opening, with McCormick and McGrath putting the ball over the top for Murray and Lee.
City were in control during this exchanges, and their cause was helped by the 87th-minute dismissal of Eoin Murphy after the forward received a second yellow card.
It was 1-1 at the end of regular time, and things got back underway with an O’Mahony effort stopped on the goal line by Nash before the referee gave a free-out.
City needed one chance to win it, and it was taken when Murray nodded the ball in beyond Adam Mylod off a deep cross from the right.
Rockmount tried to equalise, only to see their chance scrambled off the goal line off a long throw into the box in the dying seconds.
AJ Nash; Finn Dalton, Ike Manjor-Georgewill, Donal O’Connor, Luke Downey, Matthew Kiernan; Jamie Kelly; Dara McCormick, Tom McGrath, Brody Lee, Matthew Murray.
Denzell Obenge for McCormick (101); Sean Richmond for Lee (101).
Adam Mylod; Martin Connolly, Ken Hoey, Adam Crowely, Cian Murphy; Arminas Balevičius, Eoin Murphy, Colin Lemass, Barry O’Mahony; Luke Hurley, Ian Mylod.
Josh Lombard for Connolly (HT); Arseni Lamonov for I Mylod (78), Niall Hanley for Hoey (98), Denis Gavrya for O’Mahony (100), Cian Leonard for Lemass (104).
Lucas Keating
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