Northern Ireland head coach Michael O’Neill praised his team’s resilience after their late victory in Georgia. The British side, who share a Nations League group with Ukraine, secured a dramatic win in the final moments of the match.
“To come here, perform the way we did, and win the game was incredible. To do it at the end while maintaining belief in ourselves was really impressive because at that point, you think a 0-0 draw isn’t the worst result and it would have been acceptable. But we had enough confidence to push on and win,” O’Neill reflected on the triumph.
The manager also expressed frustration over the penalty awarded against his team. However, he felt that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia restored fairness by missing the spot-kick.
“I was very disappointed with the refereeing, and I told the referee that after the game,” O’Neill said.
“I don’t think it was a penalty. It was a clear foul on Sead Haji, who ended up injured because the ball was played behind the defenders. But the team showed great spirit, not only battling a very strong side but also overcoming the disappointment caused by the officiating.”
Before this victory in Georgia, Northern Ireland had been the only one of the 55 UEFA Nations League participants never to have won an away match.
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