Giants wins Super Bowl thriller against Patriots

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) and wide receiver Hakeem Nicks hold the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis, Indiana, Feb 5, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

INDIANAPOLIS - The New York Giants reclaimed the greatest prize in North American sports with a nail-biting 21-17 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Inspired by their dynamic quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants erased an eight-point third-quarter deficit to steal the victory with a last-minute touchdown from Ahmad Bradshaw in a stunning repeat of their last Super Bowl win, also against the Patriots, four years ago.

"The greatest feeling in professional sports is to win the Super Bowl," said New York's Tom Coughlin, who at 65 became the oldest National Football League coach to win a Super Bowl. "What a wonderful experience it was to see the team come together like they did."

The Giants had looked to have no hope of even competing for the National Football League title after enduring a four-game skid late in the regular season that put them in danger of missing the playoffs.

They needed to win their last two games to make the playoffs but their fairytale captivated New York City and Mayor Michael Bloomberg immediately announced the team would be honored with a ticker-tape parade on Tuesday.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates his second quarter touchdown pass against the New York Giants in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis, Indiana, Feb 5, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

For the Patriots, a second loss to their fierce New York rivals was unpalatable. "You don't feel good after you lose this game," said New England head coach Bill Belichick. "It was wild out there. Hey, it's the Super Bowl.

"I can't fault the effort of any of our players. They played as hard as they could ... We could have played a tiny bit better. It was obviously a very competitive football game."

With the memories of their last Super Bowl still fresh, Sunday's game was the Patriots' chance to avenge their shock loss from four years ago but once again they were denied in the cruelest fashion.

It was a game that lived up to all the hype and expectation as the two teams slugged it out in front of a crowd of nearly 70,000 people and an expected record television audience.

Dylan Snee, 8, son of New York Giants player Chris Snee, plays in the confetti after the Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis, Indiana, Feb 5, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]