( CNN ) -- A ticker tape parade awaits the New York Giants this week when the team returns home as Super Bowl champions after defeating the New England Patriots 21-17 on a last-minute touchdown . The Super Bowl victory Sunday night was the fourth for the Giants ; the team defeated the Patriots 17-14 in the 2008 title game . New England fans who had hoped their team would avenge the 2008 loss were left crestfallen . But for Giants supporters , the celebration was just beginning . Early Monday , the Empire State Building was bathed in Giants blue . Later in the day , New York City will conduct a public giveaway for 250 winners for a post-parade ceremony on Tuesday at City Hall Plaza where the team will be given keys to the city . `` After nearly missing the playoffs , the Giants have made history by becoming the first NFL team to win the Super Bowl after going 9-7 in the regular season , '' New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said after the Sunday night win . `` I look forward to celebrating this victory with all New Yorkers . '' Clutching the championship trophy , Giants quarterback Eli Manning , the MVP award winner , said `` I just stayed positive '' during the seesaw struggle . Assisted by crucial late receptions by Mario Manningham , Manning marched the Giants down the field in the closing minutes of the game . The go-ahead touchdown was scored by running back Ahmad Bradshaw from 6 yards out with 52 seconds remaining . But the Patriots and Tom Brady , who was vying for his fourth championship ring , were n't quite done . They moved the ball , but had only enough time for a `` Hail Mary '' pass that bounced away from receivers in the end zone . After trailing the Patriots 17-9 early in the third quarter , the Giants put up the last 12 points of the game to win 21-17 . In the final three minutes of the game , Twitter saw an average of 10,000 tweets per second , the company said . An estimated 111 million U.S. TV viewers were expected to tune in to the game . Exact figures were not available early Monday morning . As in years past , many watched as much for the ads and the halftime show as for the game itself . Halftime entertainer Madonna provided an eclectic set , morphing from a Roman Empire theme to a high school cheerleader , complete with pom poms and a marching band . She led a collection of performers through a medley that included `` Vogue , '' `` Music , '' `` Like a Prayer '' and `` Give Me All Your Luvin . ' '' But it was a guest performance by artist M.I.A . that generated most of the show 's buzz . She gave network cameras a middle finger salute , while rapping `` I do n't give a sh*t. '' The apologies from the NFL and the broadcaster , NBC , came quickly -- they blamed each other . `` There was a failure in NBC 's delay system , '' said Brian McCarty , the league 's vice president of communications . `` The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate , very disappointing , and we apologize to our fans . '' `` The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show , '' NBC said . `` Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers . '' The episode was reminiscent of the 2004 Super Bowl when singer Janet Jackson 's nipple was briefly exposed during a performance with singer Justin Timberlake . The American president who saved football . A bevy of celebrities , including Jerry Seinfeld , Clint Eastwood and Elton John , showed up in commercials during this year 's broadcast . David Beckham provided eye candy in an H & M underwear ad , which tended to spend more time on his chiseled and tattooed looks than the briefs he was wearing . Another commercial featured a slimmed-down dog chasing after a Volkswagen Beetle . The ads went for a record $ 3.5 million per 30-second spot . Pop singer Kelly Clarkson started off the festivities with a rendition of `` The Star-Spangled Banner , '' managing to get through the lyrics without a hitch , unlike Christina Aguilera , who caught flak after botching the words at last year 's game . What does Indianapolis have to offer ? The city itself strove to prove it could be a major player . It kept one key goal in mind . `` I honestly think the best report would be people saying , 'The game was great and -- oh yeah , by the way , Indianapolis was really nice . I had a really good time , ' `` said Tom Griswold , longtime co-host of the Indy-based syndicated radio program `` The Bob & Tom Show . '' CNN 's Thom Patterson and Dan Moriarty and HLN 's Jonathan Anker contributed to this report .
The Empire State Building is bathed in Giants blue . Rapper M.I.A . flips her middle finger in a hafltime show guest appearance . Quarterback Eli Manning is named game MVP in the 21-17 thriller .