NFL:The New York Giants again proved their resilience on the road by reaching the Super Bowl with a 20-17 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers last night. A 31-yard field goal from Scottish kicker Lawrence Tynes at a damp Candlestick Park sealed a hard-fought victory for the Giants, who last won the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots four years ago with an improbable run to the title as a wild card.
Tynes, who also kicked a game-winning field goal to send New York to their previous Super Bowl, split the uprights after the Giants had gained a decisive turnover in San Francisco territory after a fumbled punt return by back-up receiver Kyle Williams.
"I was so nervous today before the game just anticipating this kind of game," Tynes said afterwards. "I'm usually pretty cool but there was something about tonight that I knew I was going to have to make a kick."
Giants coach Tom Coughlin tipped his hat to his team for the late Williams turnover, forced by Jacquian Williams and recovered by Devin Thomas.
"That play at the end of the game was unbelievable, just to give us a chance of winning," Coughlin said after the Giants' fifth straight victory on the road. "Otherwise it was a defensive struggle and no team was able to really move the ball."
The Giants, who made the play-offs after winning the regular season finale three weeks ago, will face the American Football Conference champion Patriots in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on February 5th.
For much of a wet and windy afternoon in their formidable fortress of Candlestick Park, the 49ers appeared likely to withstand everything the Giants threw at them.The home team applied early pressure as steady drizzle enveloped the stadium before quarterback Alex Smith connected with tight end Vernon Davis for a 73-yard touchdown.
Davis, hit with a personal foul for excessive celebration on a camera stage in the end zone, came close to straying out of bounds as he powered down the right side but the touchdown was upheld after the play was reviewed.
San Francisco's defence kept the Giants at bay for the rest of the first quarter but New York responded early in the second, Eli Manning hitting fullback Bear Pascoe with a short pass to the right for a touchdown to cap a 10-play drive over 69 yards.
Both teams were defending tightly but, with Manning finding his groove, the Giants advanced 51 yards in 10 plays before edging ahead 10-7 just before half-time when Tynes kicked a 31-yard field goal.Smith was sacked early in the third quarter but, after the 49ers had again cramped the Giants offense, he hit Davis for a 28-yard touchdown in the left corner for a 14-10 lead.
San Francisco carried that lead into the final quarter and stayed in control with their bruising defence before the fumble by Williams, hit on his knee by the bouncing ball after a Giants punt, led to a turnover. New York took advantage as Manning's laser-like arm finally found wide receiver Mario Manningham for a 17-yard touchdown after a superbly orchestrated six-play drive.
A 25-yard field goal by 49ers kicker David Akers levelled the score at 17-17 with 5:43 left before the game spilled into nerve-jangling overtime and sudden-death. "We knew it was going to be a tough game against this defence," said Manning, who was sacked six times and completed 32-of-58 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns.
"We hit a couple big plays and the receivers stepped up and had some great plays and played tough all game."