Tipperary snatched a late draw with Longford in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, in challenging conditions.
With Longford playing with the wind in the first half, Tipperary who made the brighter start.
Stephen O’Brien opened the scoring inside three minutes and Eoghan O’Brien quickly followed up as the visitors raced into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead before Longford had settled.
Liam Glennon eventually opened the hosts’ account on 12 minutes. Whereas, Oran Kenny and Daniel Reynolds helped Longford edge in front midway through the half.
A Dessie Reynolds two-pointer proved crucial before the interval and helped Longford into a 0-9 to 0-7 half-time advantage.
Longford made a dream start to the second half when Dylan Farrell converted a superb two-point free to stretch the lead.
However, Tipperary, now with the wind at their backs, began to find their feet. Cian Smyth was central to the resurgence, adding to his tally as Tipp chipped away at the deficit.
The game’s pivotal moment arrived on 48 minutes when Farrell found the net in emphatic fashion, blasting to the roof of the net to push Longford four points clear at 1-11 to 0-10.
Yet Tipperary refused to wilt. Sean O’Connor struck a crucial two-point effort on 50 minutes to narrow the gap, while Smyth continued to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Dessie Reynolds appeared to have put daylight between the sides when he made it a four-point game entering the final stages. However, Tipperary produced a stirring finish.
Tipperary stage big comeback
A superb two-pointer from Cian Smyth in injury time reduced the deficit to two, setting up a grandstand finish.
With four minutes added on, Tipperary were awarded a late free. Sean O’Connor split the posts from distance for two points, levelling the match at 0-18 apiece.
The game finished Longford 1-15 to 18 points.
