The penalty save that kept Georgia level

Northern Ireland and Georgia played out a goalless draw that had one genuine moment of drama late on, and it fell to Isaac Price to try and settle it from the spot. He couldn't. Mamardashvili, Georgia's goalkeeper, got down to deny him, turning a potential matchwinner into nothing more than a line on the stat sheet.

It was the kind of save that decides how a game gets remembered. Northern Ireland had done enough to earn the penalty and had the better of the chances to actually win it, but a goalless draw is a goalless draw, and Mamardashvili made sure it stayed that way.

A point that still suits one side more than the other

For Georgia, the save protects an unbeaten run in the group and turns a game they could easily have lost into a point banked away from home. For Northern Ireland, there's an obvious frustration in creating the chance to win it and not taking it, Price will know that better than anyone.

But context softens the sting. The draw keeps Northern Ireland top of their Nations League group, which means the bigger picture of the campaign is unaffected even if the afternoon itself will sting for a while.

Price will get another chance

Missed penalties in internationals have a way of following a player around, fairly or not. Price is still young in this environment, and a saved spot kick against a goalkeeper of Mamardashvili's calibre is not the same as a bad miss against a lesser keeper. The scoreline stays 0-0, the table stays kind to Northern Ireland, and both sets of players move on to the next round of fixtures with the group still very much alive.