It was the biggest event of the year. People all over were waiting with bated breath for this one to unfold. It had all the makings of a classic. And boy, did it deliver. I'm talking about Super Bowl XLII. What a classic!

The build-up was great. On one hand was a team that was on a roll. A spotless 18-0 record for the season,  aiming to be only the second team in the NFL history to remain unbeaten in the season after the Dolphins team of 1972. Or rather to better that record in terms of number of straight wins in the season. A team whose offense was so good that their defense was hardly stretched. The team with the best quarterback this season. Ladies and Gentlemen, take a bow - The New England Patriots.

On the other hand, a team that huffed and puffed its way to the Super Bowl. Where every match they played towards the end of the season was a do-or-die battle. Where all critical play-off matches were “away” games and had to be won. Where the quarterback was under constant pressure, not just because of the game pressure but because of the constant comparisons with his Big Brother. Welcome - The New York Giants.

'It was tipped as the Patriots offense versus the Giants defense. A classic David v Goliath battle. And what a game it turned out to be'

It was tipped as the Patriots offense versus the Giants defense. A classic David v Goliath battle. And what a game it turned out to be. Full marks to Tom Coughlin and his assistants. They ensured that the Giants were not overawed by the occasion or by their opponents. They had played the Patriots earlier in the season. In that match they probably gave the Patriots a bit of a scare. Though they lost that close game, it must have given them a huge morale-booster when they met the Patriots again in the mega-game.

And as expected it all came down to how well the Giants defense fared against the fearsome Tom Brady-led Patriot offense. And did they make a good job of it. Brady, who had been his cool, collected self throughout the season, appeared rattled and out of rhythm. The Giants got to Brady five times in the game, which in itself is a season high. Brady, though produced a remarkable play taking the Patriots from a 7-10 deficit to a 14-10 lead. But that was just about it. The Giants defense had obviously sorted him out.

The Giants offense in return, though not spectacular, was steady. They had a great starting run and then kept up the pressure, never really letting the favorites run away with the game. And then cam the moment – Patriots up 14-10; Eli Manning just about threw the ball, fraction of a second before the Patriots pass rushers reached him. And David Tyree took an astonishing catch, probably the best and the most important catch of his life. That play showed how much the Giants wanted to win this one. It showed their desire, their desperation, and their will. That play set up the winning pass at first and 10 when Manning passed to Burress and the rest, as they say, is history.