All-Ireland SFC Rd 1: Armagh 1-18 Derry 1-13Armagh proved too strong for Derry in an all-Ulster clash at a packed-out Athletic Grounds on Saturday evening as Kieran McGeeney’s men advanced to Round 2A of this year’s All-Ireland Championship with five points to spare.In truth, the scoreboard flattered Derry, who for large spells will be disappointed with their showing. Armagh showed no signs of a post-provincial hangover as they constantly put their opponents under pressure. Their pace on the counter caused Ciarán Meenagh’s side all sorts of problems, particularly during a blistering spell in the opening half when they threatened to run away with the tie.On a night when Armagh registered 11 different scorers, Derry found their scores hard to come by, and ended up shooting 14 wides over the 70 minutes.Captain Conor Glass gave Derry the lead in the third minute and after Noel Loughlin notched the game’s first wide came the game’s first goal opportunity.Turning over an Armagh kick-out, Shane McGuigan had the freedom of the park as he headed for goal. With options to both his left and right he decided to go for his point, but the normally reliable McGuigan blazed his shot wide of the target.Less than a minute later Armagh made Derry pay for that miss as Conor Turbitt split the posts at the other end with the game’s first two-pointer. It was the signal for the recently crowned Ulster champions to up the ante and take control.A quickfire double from Tomás McCormick soon followed before a quick Armagh counterattack was finished off by Jason Duffy, and with only 15 minutes on the clock, Darragh McMullan pushed Armagh’s lead out to five as Derry goalkeeper Shea McGuckin again had trouble in finding a white shirt from a kick-out.In need of something to fall their way to force themselves back into the contest, Derry were handed a route back into the game in the 17th minute.Derry's Shea Downey challenges Greg McCabe of Armagh at the Athletic Grounds. Photograph: Nick Elliott/Inpho Blain Hughes’s attempted short kick-out to Gareth Murphy was picked off by Lachlan Murray and the Derry forward took full advantage to race unopposed and finish powerfully past the Armagh netminder.Seconds later Loughlin pointed and all of a sudden Derry were back in the game, only for their comeback to be put to bed in spectacular fashion.Armagh centre back Tiernan Kelly made a break forward and from distance, the Clann Éireann man saw his shot zip across the face of McGuckin in the Derry goal and nestle in the far top corner.The goal-kick started another Armagh scoring burst which saw Oisín Conaty land a two-pointer, and Jarly Óg Burns stroll through the heart of the Derry defence to open up a seven-point lead after 21 minutes.Murray broke Armagh’s scoring sequence with a much-needed Derry score two minutes later.Finding it difficult to establish a foothold into the game, frustration crept into the Oak Leaf ranks. Eoin McEvoy was yellow-carded for a late hit on Andrew Murnin, which was quickly followed by his team-mate Loughlin, who received the same sanction for a high challenge on Hughes.Hughes was involved in the thick of the action again just two minutes before half-time to deny Conor McCluskey what looked like a certain Derry goal. McCluskey’s close-range effort looked destined to end up high in the Armagh net, but Hughes’s quick reaction denied Derry a much-needed gateway back into the contest.And as the teams trotted down the tunnel at the break, Armagh held a deserving six-point advantage, 1-9 to 1-3.Armagh's Peter McGrane gets his shot away despite the efforts of Shea Downey of Derry. Photograph: Nick Elliott/Inpho Murray and Turbitt exchanged early second-half points before Armagh were reduced to 14 players when Jason Duffy body-checked McCluskey.Derry immediately made use of their numerical advantage through a Conor Doherty point, but the same player was off target a minute later from a similar position.As the conditions deteriorated due to the driving rain it was Derry who appeared to adapt to the tricky conditions.Shane McGuigan registered his opening score of the night after 49 minutes and a double from Doherty reduced Derry’s arrears to only three points.However, with the game in the melting pot, it was Armagh were able to find another gear, and having been restored to a full complement of players, the Orchard County rattled off five scores, the pick of them in the 58th minute from a Hughes two-point free.Oisín O’Neill wasted no time in making an impact when he knocked over a free with his first touch to stretch Armagh’s led to eight.A Seán Young point and an Ethan Doherty two-pointer in the dying minutes only served to add a little shine to Derry’s tally on a night when they were more than second best to the Ulster champions.ARMAGH: B Hughes (0-1-0, tpf); P McGrane, A McKay, G Murphy; J McElroy (0-0-1), T Kelly (1-0-0), G McCabe; J Óg Burns (0-0-1), A Murnin (0-0-1); C McConville, D McMullan (0-0-1), T McCormack (0-0-2); C Turbitt (0-1-2), J Duffy (0-0-2), O Conaty (0-1-1).Subs: R McQuillan for McCabe (53 mins); O O’Neill (0-0-1, f) for Duffy (60); R Grugan for Murnin (67).DERRY: S McGuckian; S Downey, R Forbes, C McCluskey; C Doherty (0-0-3), G McKinless, P McGrogan; E McEvoy, B Rogers; E Doherty (0-1-0), C Glass (0-0-1), N Toner; N Loughlin (0-0-1), S McGuigan (0-0-1), L Murray (1-0-2).Subs: P Cassidy (0-1-0) for Downey (42 mins); D Higgins for Toner (48); J Sargent for Forbes (54); S Young (0-0-1) for Murray (56).Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).