Price misses penalty as Northern Ireland held by Georgia
· Yahoo Sports
Northern Ireland remain the only team to not concede in the 2026-27 Uefa Nations League, but could not find the net in a 0-0 draw with Georgia after Isaac Price missed a late penalty for the home side.
Michael O'Neill's outfit came close in the first half of the Group B2 contest when Patrick Kelly found himself through on goal but he hesitated, which gave Georgia time to clear their lines.
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In the final 10 minutes, NI came to life once more with Ruairi McConville's header denied by the crossbar before Price's spot-kick was parried away by the busy Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The result is NI's second goalless draw at home and means they remain top of the group, one point ahead of Hungary in second.
Price's penalty denied by Mamardashvili
The away side made a bright start in Belfast with the alert Pierce Charles forced to come off his line early to gather a dangerous pass from Otar Kakabadze.
McConville's impressive form this campaign continued in the final game of the window, and he had the first effort on target after 24 minutes when his header was well saved by a diving Mamardashvili.
Charles then made a low save of his own to collect a strong effort from Zuriko Davitashvili.
Northern Ireland have progressed well in this window and their confidence was evidenced with a superb run from Tom Atcheson in midfield before Price flicked the ball into the path of Justin Devenny, whose pass to the back post was overhit.
In the final five minutes of the first half, Northern Ireland had their best chance of the opening 45 minutes when a clever pass from Trai Hume sent Kelly through on goal.
However, the midfielder hesitated when deciding whether to shoot or pass and his eventual attempted delivery into Jamie Donley was cleared, to the frustration of the home fans.
As the second half got under way, the rain began to pour at Windsor Park and chances were few and far between as the impact of an extended window started to show.
O'Neill was forced to turn to his bench and he brought on Kieran Morrison and Josh Magennis, who helped to bring the hosts back into the game.
Magennis has scored plenty of big goals for Northern Ireland and he nearly added another to his tally when he found space in the box, but a superb fingertip save from Mamardashvili denied the home side.
From the resulting corner, McConville's effort crashed off the crossbar as, like in Tbilisi, Northern Ireland pushed for a late goal.
Their best chance came on 84 minutes when Budu Zivzivadze was penalised for a kick to McConville's head.
However, Mamardashvili continued his impressive performance and dived the correct way to gather a poor penalty from Price.
Analysis: Youthful Northern Ireland squad continue to show moments of positivity
Manager Michael O'Neill said before the game that this young squad will have "bumps along the road".
However, this Nations League journey has been a relatively smooth ride so far with momentum firmly with this youthful team as they complete this four-game international window unbeaten.
During both tenures as Northern Ireland manager, O'Neill has set Northern Ireland up as a team that are hard to beat.
And with the side conceding just two goals in the past 11 games at Windsor Park, progress on that front is clear.
Northern Ireland looked like a side calm and confident in what they were doing in defence and, even when things were not going their way in final third, they never gave up.
The back-five of Atcheson, McConville, Ciaron Brown, Devenny and Hume not only helped NI keep their status as the only side yet to concede in this competition, but also proved a threat from set-pieces.
Georgia have struggled through this competition and are yet to find the net, with their manager Willy Sagnol departing after their home defeat by NI earlier in the window.
One concern for O'Neill will be that his side could not build on their goalscoring threat that they showed during their 3-0 win against Ukraine in Trnava.
The convincing win felt like a real turning point for the side and, while they showed further signs of promise at home, their performance in the final third raised a few questions.
Key players such as Price struggled to get into the game and that limited Northern Ireland's attacking output.
Price's penalty was the moment Northern Ireland had been waiting for to snatch all three points, but his effort was not convincing.
However, for a young team in an extended four-game window, this international break will be one that NI reflect on in a largely positive way.