Armagh secured direct passage to the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals after a dramatic win over Galway as Tyrone survived by drawing with Westmeath.

Tyrone were inches away from exiting as Westmeath talisman John Heslin missed a last-gasp free at Breffni Park.

That meant that the Red Hands hung on for a 0-18 to 0-18 draw when a defeat would have ended their summer.

Tyrone were left grateful to Darragh Canavan who kicked 10 points but it was another largely unconvincing display by the 2021 All-Ireland winners, who narrowly avoided a second successive early championship exit.

On a breathless afternoon of action as the rain clouds closed in across the country, one scarcely knew where to look with the permutations changing seemingly by the minute.

And the excitement wasn’t confined to the Leitrim and Cavan venues with Mayo slipping from first to third place in Group One after they were stunned 1-14 to 1-11 by a rejuvenated Cork in Limerick which allowed Kerry to top the table after their 5-24 to 0-11 demolition of Mickey Harte’s Louth at Portlaoise.

In Group Three, Dublin’s 3-23 to 0-8 hammering of Sligo ensured that they go directly to the All-Ireland quarter-finals with Kildare grabbing home advantage for their preliminary quarter-final next weekend after edging out Roscommon 1-16 to 1-15, which pushed the Rossies down to the third spot in the table.

At Carrick-on-Shannon, Galway seemed to have a measure of control at half-time as they led 1-5 to 0-6 following a Sean Kelly goal.

However, Armagh held the advantage for the fifth time in the contest as the impressive Andrew Murnin, Conor Turbitt and Stefan Campbell scored after the restart and while Galway led with two minutes of normal time remaining, defender Aidan Forker’s second point of the match got them on terms before Grugan hit the winner after referee Joe McQuillan awarded the softest of frees for a challenge by Peter Cooke on Murnin.

A reckless challenge by the previously superb Aaron McKay then gave Shane Walsh the chance to fire a last-kick equalising free from distance which would have seen the Tribesmen topping Group Two but the All-Star’s kick was well off target in the windy conditions.

After narrow defeats by Derry and Tyrone in recent weeks, it was a hugely important win for this Armagh team who managed to chisel out victory despite being without suspended key forward Rian O’Neill.

Galway miss Comer’s influence

With Galway missing the attacking thrust of injured Damien Comer, the Tribesmen struggled to break through Armagh’s defensive line during the contest.

There was no more than a point between the sides in the opening 28 minutes before defender Kelly burst through the centre of the Armagh defence and coolly finished past Ethan Rafferty.

Armagh had been forewarned as a Kelly charge two minutes earlier had yielded a penalty, which Walsh failed to convert as Rafferty, who had been unable to stop any of the Tribesmen’s spot-kicks in last summer’s All-Ireland quarter-final penalty shootout, grasped the Kilmacud star’s poorly-struck effort.

With a Cillian McDaid point restoring Galway’s two-point advantage before the break after a Campbell response, the Tribesmen seemed to hold the edge but Armagh came out fired up after the restart with Murnin’s target-man ability in attack offering them an outlet which Galway simply didn’t have.

Armagh did ride their luck with keeper Rafferty grateful for a McKay interception in the 44th after being stranded away from his goals, as Ian Burke attempted to deliver the ball to Walsh, when Galway led 1-7 to 0-9.

Thereafter there was never more than a point in it before the dramatic conclusion to the match as Murnin won his questionable free after Galway had lost possession before Walsh missed his last-gasp free.

At Breffni Park, there was never more than a point between the teams in the first half despite Canavan’s scoring tour de force.

Canavan fired over Tyrone’s opening five points before Joe Oguz and Peter Harte bagged a point apiece.

Luke Loughlin’s two excellent frees were the highlights for last year’s inaugural Tailteann Cup winners and he added another point with Heslin also popping over three points and Sam Cartan notching 0-2.

Canavan was playing alongside his brother Ruairi for the first time in a championship match and the siblings combined to give Tyrone a two-point advantage for the first time as they both hit two scores following the restart.

Tyrone appeared to be finally getting the upper hand when scores from Darragh Canavan, Conn Kilpatrick and Kieran McGeary put them four ahead only for Westmeath’s late rally to bring them level as Kieran Martin, Heslin and Ray Connellan all pointed.

Heslin was then presented with the chance to end Tyrone’s championship involvement but his free from a tight angle was inches wide as the Red Hands breathed a sigh of relief.

Armagh now join All-Ireland champions Kerry, Dublin and Derry in securing All-Ireland quarter-finals places in two weeks.

Tyrone, meanwhile, face an away preliminary quarter-final against Cork, Kildare or Donegal next weekend, with Galway not a potential opponent in a week’s time because they have already met in the group stage.

Likewise, Donegal cannot meet Monaghan next weekend for the same reason with Roscommon and Mayo also possible opponents for Aidan O’Rourke’s side when the draw is made on Monday morning.