Shea Charles strikes in 99th minute as Northern Ireland beat Georgia

Shea Charles scored in the 99th minute to secure Northern Ireland's first away victory in the Nations League, a 1-0 win over Georgia in Tbilisi on Friday. According to BBC Sport, the late breakthrough followed a penalty save by his brother Pierce and several disputed refereeing decisions that drew criticism from Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill.

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Georgia's penalty came after a video assistant referee review in the 65th minute. Daniel Ballard was judged to have fouled Luka Lochoshvili while challenging for a cross, giving the hosts a chance to take the lead. Pierce Charles kept out the resulting kick from Georgia captain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Paris St-Germain winger, leaving Northern Ireland level before their eventual winner.

Northern Ireland then had a penalty appeal of their own turned down in the 88th minute, when Shea Charles appeared to have been caught inside the area. O'Neill told BBC Sport NI that his side had needed resilience against both Georgia's second-half improvement and decisions he felt had gone against them. He said the hosts had brought Kvaratskhelia into the game more effectively after the interval.

The manager also questioned referee Orel Grinfeeld's decision not to award a free-kick when substitute Ceadach O'Neill went down late in the match. Georgia counter-attacked in the following passage of play, during which Ballard was injured while pursuing a loose ball. O'Neill linked the injury to that sequence, adding another concern to an evening that ultimately ended with three points for his team.

O'Neill said Ballard had sustained a hamstring injury and would be unavailable for Northern Ireland's next three fixtures in the international window, against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia. The Sunderland defender was due to undergo a scan the following day. The manager's assessment ruled him out of those matches, but the report did not establish a longer-term recovery timetable.

Despite his complaints about the officiating, O'Neill praised his players' performance and character. He also acknowledged that he had not reviewed the incident leading to Georgia's penalty when describing the decision as harsh. His objections remained the manager's assessment of the refereeing, while the decisive events were Pierce Charles's penalty save and Shea Charles's stoppage-time winner.