RAM RAID
MATTHEW Stafford led a dramatic late game-winning drive to seal Super Bowl glory for the Los Angeles Rams on home soil on Sunday night.
The quarterback took his side down the field before finding Cooper Kupp for a decisive touchdown in a 23-20 win at SoFi Stadium.
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Stafford finished with three touchdowns as he delivered success for owner Stan Kroenke in his $5.5billion palace.
Owner Kroenke said: "I'm really proud of this group, all the guys, I'm so happy for them.
"These players unbelievable and they just hung in there. It was a tough game and I'm so proud of them executing it like they did.
"As far as building this stadium, it's turned out alright. Thanks to the great fans of Los Angeles - their first Super Bowl trophy in Rams house."
The Rams were behind for all of the second half before an epic 15-play, 79-yard drive in the fourth quarter swung it in their favor.
They got off to a great start when Cincinnati went for it on 4th down in a gutsy call from coach Zac Taylor but it backfired in his face.
Joe Burrow’s pass fell incomplete and Stafford took advantage of the short field by striking first.
He hit Odell Beckham Jr with an exquisite 17-yard pass into the corner of the end zone, and repeated it in the second quarter with an 11-yard score to Cooper Kupp.
Cincinnati’s only joy early on was when Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for a 46-yard gain after he escaped the attention of Jalen Ramsey but the drive resulted in just a field goal.
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It took a huge drive in the second quarter to click the Cincinnati offense into gear before a trick play sent Bengals fans into raptures.
Burrow tossed right to Mixon, and the running back rounded off a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took more than seven minutes by finding Tee Higgins in the corner of the end zone.
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The whole of SoFi Stadium then gasped as Beckham hit the deck with a non-contact injury.
The wide receiver was helped from the field while clutching his left knee and never returned.
LA held a 13-10 lead at half-time before Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and special guest 50 Cent put on a stunning halftime show.
The hip-hop-themed event was the Super Bowl’s oldest ever as the combined age of stars was 286 years old.
Dre 56, opened the show alongside LA rapper Snoop Dogg, 50.
The rapper 50 Cent, 46, performed a version of his 2003 hit In Da Club while Mary J Blige, 51, wooed fans with her song Family Affair, which was produced by Dre.
Eminem took the knee during his performance – something that he wanted to do but NFL bosses wanted him to avoid, according to Puck.
Fans loved the halftime show as they took to Twitter to comment.
One said: "That was the greatest Super Bowl half time show. If you were born in the 80s and early 90s, this one was for your childhood.
"Music was just different back in those days. And better."
Another shared a picture of Sex and The City's Carrie Bradshaw and commented: "And it was right about then, watching Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Dr. Dre on stage at the Super Bowl Half-Time Show, that a wave of nostalgia washed over me and I realized that finally, I was old."#
While, a third uploaded a picture of Grandpa Simpson sitting on a tree stump talking to Bart's friends.
They said: "Every 39-year-old explaining to their kids why that half-time show was the greatest of all time."
'GREATEST OF ALL TIME'
Prince Harry and his cousin Eugenie were among those who enjoyed the half-time entertainment - but his wife Meghan Markle was nowhere to be seen.
The game was also attended by a whole host of other celebs, including Kendall Jenner, Ryan Reynolds, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Charlize Theron, Rebel Wilson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Justin and Hailey Bieber.
Kayne West was booed by some fans when his face appeared on the jumbotron during the first quarter of Sunday's game.
He was accused by fans of "wanting attention" after he wore a full face mask.
The Rams were left stunned at the start of the second half as Burrow hit Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown on the very first play.
Wide receiver Higgins fought off Ramsey and walked into the end zone for a score that almost took the roof off Kroenke’s stadium.
The sides traded field goals and went into the fourth quarter with the Bengals holding a 20-16 lead.
Both defenses took over in the second half with Burrow sacked eight times in total.
But Stafford and the Rams had one good drive left in them – and it was enough to seal Super Bowl glory.
The quarterback found offensive player of the year Kupp with a one-yard pass in the corner of the end zone with 1:25 to play.
Defensive machine Aaron Donald had the last laugh by sacking Burrow on fourth down with 39 seconds to play.
Fans inside SoFi Stadium and around the world were left stunned as one spectator invaded the pitch.
The invader, who was carrying a white flag and was wearing a branded Super Bowl jacket, galloped down a full 80 yards down the field with three security guards in tow.
He was dragged down at the 20-yard line.
Super Bowl tickets were on the market for jaw-dropping prices this year - with one being sold for around $180,000 on Ticketmaster – and fans online asked why someone would enter the field after paying so much.
One wrote: "What you probably didn’t see on TV: This idiot, who likely spent thousands for his ticket, just ran across the field and got decked by security."
This wasn't the first time that a spectator has entered the field at a Super Bowl, with a similar incident in last year's match between Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.
On that occasion, a streaker later identified as Yuri Andrade sprinted onto the pitch in a pink mankini.
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He evaded security long enough for the game to be halted, before eventually being dragged down.
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