Shea and Pierce Charles deliver late winner and penalty save in Northern Ireland's 1-0 win in Tbilisi
September 26, 2026 08:51
Shea Charles scored in the 99th minute to give Northern Ireland a 1-0 victory away to Georgia in their Nations League B Group 2 opener in Tbilisi. His younger brother, goalkeeper Pierce Charles, had earlier saved a penalty from Ballon d'Or nominee Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and made several other important stops; Pierce was named player of the match.
MANAGER AND PLAYERS' REACTIONS
Manager Michael O'Neill praised both brothers: "The two boys were brilliant. I thought Pierce played extremely well... He gives you a great range of control because of his passing and everything around that. He gives the back three a lot of security because they know they can go back there. Shea was colossal... I thought he was fabulous."
Pierce laughed when asked whether his brother had stolen his thunder: "Classic Shea." Shea credited his brother for the result: "I always back Pierce. He's done really well to save it and make a few other a really good saves. It's credit to him for the win."
SHEA CHARLES: FORM AND EXPERIENCE
The 22-year-old Fulham midfielder, who moved from Southampton in the summer, said he felt he should have scored "a couple more" before his late strike. He reflected on how international experience against top midfielders has helped his club progression: "I remember when we played the Spain game [in June 2024], I said these are the kind of people you play against in the Premier League, so it's all experience."
KEY CONTEXT
- Pierce Charles is 21 and on loan at Queens Park Rangers. His performance prevented Georgia from converting a key opportunity and contributed to what was described as Northern Ireland's first ever away win in the Nations League. The penalty denial came from Paris St-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Northern Ireland return home to face Hungary at Windsor Park on Monday night in the second fixture of this four-game international window. The match will be shown live across the BBC. Shea said the Tbilisi win "sets us up really well for the Hungary game on Monday... Everyone's buzzing and can't wait to get back to Belfast and just try and get the win there."