Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill expressed frustration over a series of refereeing decisions despite his side securing a hard-fought victory against Georgia, in a match that only sprang to life after a subdued opening 45 minutes.
The key moment arrived in the 65th minute when defender Daniel Ballard was penalized for a foul on Luka Lochoshvili during an aerial challenge, a decision reached only after consultation with the Video Assistant Referee. Paris Saint-Germain forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but goalkeeper Pierce produced a crucial save to deny the Georgian international and keep Northern Ireland's advantage intact.
The home side felt they should have had a penalty of their own shortly before full time. In the 88th minute, forward Charles appeared to be brought down inside the box, but referee officials waved away the appeals, much to O'Neill's dismay.
Adding to O'Neill's frustration was an incident involving substitute Ceadach O'Neill, who earned his third international cap during the match and has now committed his international future to Northern Ireland for the next three years. The manager felt his young player should have won a foul in a passage of play that preceded Ballard suffering an injury while chasing down a loose ball as Georgia broke forward on the counter-attack.
Despite the controversies, O'Neill was full of praise for how his squad handled the pressure and adversity throughout the contest.