A fisted point in the fourth minute of stoppage time by substitute Stefan Campbell was enough to secure a draw for Armagh to send them straight into the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals after Galway let a five-point lead slip in the final quarter with the wind behind them at Markievicz Park.
Galway will now have to face a preliminary quarter-final next weekend after letting a winning hand slip away from them for the second year in succession against Armagh.
Armagh played with the breeze in the opening half but went in trailing by 0-08 to 0-06 at the end of an opening half, where Galway played a lot of possession football in front of a crowd of 8,870.
Their patient build-up, often moving the ball laterally inside halfway before prising openings, paid dividends during a half where the sides were level five times.
Galway let Armagh go short with their kickouts. They won all 11 from Blaine Hughes, with the Tribesmen collecting just seven of their dozen, but when Padraic Joyce's men had the ball they held on to it and by the break had recorded 66% possession.
Indeed, the sides exchanged points five times in the opening half-hour, with Armagh taking the lead three times through Tiernan Kelly, Conor Turbitt and Andrew Murnin before Matthew Tierney and two from Rob Finnerty, one of them a free, responded for the Tribesmen.
Cillian McDaid edged Galway in front for the first time after 20 minutes following another patient build-up but Armagh hit back and restored their lead, with efforts from Ben Grealey and a second from Turbitt.
Galway then stepped up a gear. Finnerty pointed a free to end a 10-minute scoreless spell and veteran Paul Conroy went forward and landed one before Shane Walsh struck two excellent efforts from the left, one off each foot, as Galway pushed three in front.
Armagh pulled one back when Rian O’Neill, starved of possession in the opening half when they shot six wides to Galway’s three, floated over an excellent point from the left.
The sides twice exchanged points in the opening seven minutes of the second half before Galway hit three in a row from Conroy, Dylan McHugh and Liam Silke to lead by 0-13 to 0-08 after 54 minutes.
But then Turbitt pointed Armagh’s first free after 58 minutes before he intercepted a poor kickout from Gleeson and he set up Tiernan Kelly for a goal, the first conceded by the Tribesmen in this year’s championship.
Three minutes later O’Neill tied the side before Turbitt again intercepted a kickout from Gleeson and fisted them in front with eight minutes left on the clock.
Walsh pointed a free for Galway and then edged them back in front at the start of four minutes of stoppage time.
Galway had possession to seal the win but in a final attack Armagh, needing just a draw to advance, worked the ball into Campbell and he made the most of the chance to fist the equaliser.
It is the second year in a row Armagh have struck to thwart Galway in added time in a championship pool game.
A year ago Rory Grugan landed an injury-time point to secure Armagh’s first championship win over Galway and qualify directly for the last eight, with Galway going out to neighbours Mayo in the preliminary clash.
Now Padraic Joyce must get the Tribesmen to regroup again, but with Sean Mulkerrin and Cein Darcy being added to an injury list that sees Damien Comer still out and question marks over the fitness of skipper Sean Kelly and marksman Finnerty, he faces an uphill battle.
Armagh: Blaine Hughes; Barry McCambridge, Aaron McKay, Peter McGrane; Ciaran Higgins, Tiernan Kelly (1-01), Aidan Forker; Niall Grimley, Ben Grealey (0-01; Joe McElroy, Rian O'Neill (0-03), Oisin Conaty; Rory Grugan, Andrew Murnin (0-02), Conor Turbitt (0-04, 0-01f).
Subs: Stefan Campbell (0-01) for Higgins (half-time), Ross McQuillan for Conaty (48), Aidan Nugent for Forker (54), Oisin O’Neill for McGrane (65).
Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Seán Mulkerrin, Jack Glynn; Dylan McHugh (0-01), Liam Silke (0-01), Séan Fitzgerald; Paul Conroy (0-02), Seán Kelly; Matthew Tierney (0-01), John Maher (0-01), Cein Darcy; Rob Finnerty (0-03, 0-02f), Shane Walsh (0-05, 0-03f), Cillian McDaid (0-01).
Subs: John Daly for Mulkerrin (47), Cathal Sweeney for McDaid (54), Johnny Heaney for Kelly (61), Daniel O’Flaherty for Darcy (68), Tomo Culhane for Finnerty (70).
Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
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