Northern Ireland shock Georgia in Tbilisi; Armenia win against Latvia
Kvicha Kvaratskhelia missed a 65' penalty but Northern Ireland won with a stoppage-time goal; Armenia beat Latvia 2:0 in Yerevan.
Northern Ireland stunned Georgia with a late winner in Tbilisi as the visitors claimed a 1:0 victory in the opening round of Nations League B on 25.09.2026.
The game’s defining moment arrived after a penalty was awarded in the 65th minute for a foul by Ballard inside the Georgian box. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia — the Paris Saint-Germain forward who has often been Georgia’s match-winner — stepped up to take the spot kick, but his attempt was parried away by goalkeeper Pryce Charles.
As the hosts searched for a reply, it was Shay Charles who struck deep into stoppage time. In the eighth minute of added time the substitute found the net past Mamardashvili, sealing a dramatic win for Northern Ireland and leaving the home crowd stunned.
Armenia victorious at home
At the same time in Yerevan, Armenia opened their campaign in League C with a 2:0 victory over Latvia. The hosts created the better chances and converted twice, once in each half.
Georgi Harutyunyan gave Armenia the lead in the 31st minute, and Artur Garibyan added the second in the 75th to make the final score 2:0. Both results come from the first matchday of their respective Nations League groups.
Photo: press material from the event
