After a drab archetypal half, the crippled picked up aft the restart and the archetypal flashpoint came successful the 65th infinitesimal erstwhile Ballard was adjudged to person fouled Luka Lochoshvili erstwhile challenging for a transverse aft a VAR review.
Pierce saved the punishment from Paris St-Germain winger Kvaratskhelia, and Northern Ireland had an entreaty of their ain waved distant erstwhile Charles appeared to person been caught successful the country successful the 88th minute.
The NI manager was besides aggravated astatine the deficiency of a foul connected substitute O'Neill, who is present tied to Northern Ireland for 3 years aft helium won his 3rd cap, and Ballard was injured erstwhile chasing a escaped shot arsenic Georgia came guardant connected the counter-attack successful the resulting play.
O'Neill said his players were "magnificent" and his squad "showed each broadside of our quality tonight".
"At times it didn't spell our way. I've not seen the incidental backmost but to maine it seemed incredibly harsh to springiness a punishment for that. The feline was obscurity adjacent the shot to caput it.
"We consciousness aggrieved that we didn't get 1 astatine the different end. The foul connected Ceadach erstwhile helium came connected the transportation causes Dan to get injured.
"I was conscionable baffled by the prime of the refereeing."
O'Neill confirmed that Sunderland defender Ballard had injured his hamstring and would miss Northern Ireland's adjacent 3 games successful the window, against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia.
"You saw the quality of however helium pulled up. It's a hamstring," helium said.
"We'll scan him time but he's surely not going to beryllium disposable for the adjacent 3 games."
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