ADAM VINATIERI'S late field goal handed New England a sensational 32-29 win over Carolina at Super Bowl XXXVIII.


Both teams were deadlocked early on as defence took centre stage before Tom Brady led the Patriots to a 21-10 lead thanks to touchdowns from Antowain Smith, Deion Branch and David Givens.

But Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme led the comeback as the underdogs levelled matters at 29-29 with the clock running down.

And there was still time for the game to swing back in the Patriots' favour as Vinatieri smashed his 41-yard kick to secure New England's second Super Bowl success in three years.

The match-winner said: "The guys fought so hard all day long. "I'm just fortunate to have the opportunity to put the icing on the cake."

Despite narrowly missing out in one of the greatest NFL finals of all time, the Panthers were far from outplayed.

Delhomme was easily their best player and he put in a great fourth-quarter display - creating the platform for a 33-yard touchdown run by DeShaun Foster.

He then completed an 85-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad, before combining with Ricky Proehl in a move that appeared to have sent the game into overtime.

But with the fans in Houston's Reliant Stadium warming up for more action, Brady again imposed himself on the game.

He found Troy Brown and then the ever-reliable Branch with fewer than 10 seconds left to give Vinatieri the opportunity to seal victory.

Not surprisingly, Brady ended the match clutching the Vince Lombardi trophy and his second Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award.

The quarterback beamed: "It's just incredible.

"It's unbelievable to do it the way we did. The guys made great catches and Adam drove that sucker right down the middle to win it. What a game."