New York Giants Win Super Bowl 2012
New York Giants Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks hold aloft the Vince Lombardi trophy after the Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl 2012. Reuters

(Reuters) - The New York Giants captured their second Super Bowl in the last four years with a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in the National Football League's championship game on Sunday.

The win capped a remarkable late-season turnaround for a Giants team that endured a four-game slide late in the campaign that left them in danger of missing the playoffs.

But after qualifying for the post-season in their regular season finale, the Giants crushed the Atlanta Falcons in their playoff opener, stunned last year's Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and clinched their title game berth with an overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Giants, who also beat the Patriots in the championship game four years ago, became the first team to win a Super Bowl after finishing the regular season with a 9-7 record.