Win in Georgia a 'big step' for Northern Ireland

After a first half that could kindly be described as nondescript, by the time all was said and done in Tbilisi on Friday night, Northern Ireland's 1-0 win over Georgia represented a number of significant milestones. A first ever win in the second-tier of the Nations League, a first ever away win in the competition at any level, and a first clean sheet away from home in almost two years were all ticked off by evening's end at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena. For a starting side with an average age of just 23-years-old, an away win at this level will count as a significant achievement. The side has struggled away from Windsor Park in recent seasons, prior to Friday winning just two of 12 competitive away games since O'Neill's return to the dugout in December 2022. Given that those previous two victories came against San Marino and Luxembourg, for many involved against Georgia, it represented the biggest result outside of Belfast of their international careers to date. "To come away here and win, it's not easy to win any games in international football away from home," said O'Neill. "We're a young team, you saw that with the players we brought off the bench, not only the team that started. To come away here, play the way we did was huge." Northern Ireland finished third in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group with late defeat by Slovakia in Kosice the damaging result. They still made the play-offs, where they were beaten by Italy in Bergamo, by virtue of topping their Nations League C group in 2024 despite no wins on the road in that campaign either. For defender Trai Hume, who captained the side in Tbilisi, Friday's result felt significant. "Since we've come together, we've always said that we're a young group and we're growing and growing," he said. "That shows we can go away and win games which is very important because anyone coming to Windsor, they know it's going to be a tough game for them. "But in the last campaign, away games have been where we haven't been at the level we probably wanted to be at. It's one of the parts of our game that we need to improve." While the visitors were indebted to goalkeeper Pierce Charles, who could count a second-half penalty among his saves, for keeping them in position to secure the last-gasp victory, Hume was encouraged his side were not simply content with a draw in the closing moments. "We showed both sides, that we can dominate the ball and create chances but also dig in when he have to. For a young team that's really important," added the 24-year-old. "Sometimes you're trying to sit in and keep what you've got but we went and tried to win the game. We didn't sit in, we weren't happy to come away with a point." 'It's a great start' While others in the group were more bullish when stating their pre-campaign aims, O'Neill will know well the prizes on offer from this competition. Topping the pool would represent not just an impressive result but also offer a potential backdoor into the play-offs for Euro 2028. A top-two finish, meanwhile, would improve their seeding for the qualification draw for that tournament to be held in Belfast in December. In a broader sense, after the step up from League C, this is the type of opposition the side will have to beat if they are to make it to such major finals in the future. Their Nations League campaign continues against Hungary in Belfast on Monday, and O'Neill is keen to see his team continue to build back at home. The game will be their first at home since beating Luxembourg 1-0 in November, while only Germany have won at Windsor Park since October 2023. "It's a great start, it's three points, it's a big step for us as a team, but we have to see if we can get to that level again on Monday night," O'Neill said. "Our last competitive game was a defeat by Italy in a World Cup play-off, so it's nice to put that behind us and move forward. "With the players we have at the age they have, they're growing all the time in international football."