Dublin's Ciaran Kilkenny began the game after Niall Scully left the squad. Tony Brosnan was injured, thus Stephen O'Brien started for Kerry.

Dublin had a strong first half, with Paul Mannion scoring twice while Kerry was held scoreless from the 14th to the 27th minute.

Kerry's first-half performance was highlighted by Seán O'Shea's three points.

Kerry took the lead right before the break after trailing for the majority of the first half thanks to Paul Geaney's goal, who was set up by David Clifford's superb ball.

David and Paudie Clifford had a major impact on the second half as they took the lead after 44 minutes, 1-08 to 0-08.

Colm Basquel set up Paddy Small to get a goal for Dublin to tie the score in the 45th minute after Dublin had recovered from a key mistake.

Paudie Clifford contributed to Kerry's superb reaction with three straight points. Mannion tied the score at 1-11 apiece with 15 minutes left as Dublin experienced their own purple spell.

Like the semi-final against Monaghan, Brian Fenton raised the stakes for Dublin in the closing moments. His point in the 63rd minute gave Dublin its first lead since the opening period.

The advantage was just temporary since Killian Spillane quickly levelled the score. At a crucial moment, Paddy Small scored again, giving them the lead once more.

Until David Clifford tied the score again for Kerry with a free kick in the 70th minute, it appeared as though Dublin would hang on for the victory.

Mannion then pushed the ball over to give Dublin the lead from close range in the 73rd minute following a goal scramble. Dean Rock, not for the first time in his career, gave Dublin its first All-Ireland since 2020 by converting a free kick with the game's last kick.