American Football: Chargers go through

The San Diego Chargers earned their first place in the Super Bowl last night, coming from behind to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-13 and win the AFC Championship.

Stan Humphries' 43-yard touchdown pass to Tony Martin put the Chargers into the lead for the first time in the game with 5min 13sec left, and two outstanding defensive plays by San Diego linebacker Dennis Gibson in the closing minutes ensured victory.

"Our guys just never stopped believing," coach Bobby Ross said of his Chargers side, who were universally rated as the underdogs.

They managed no points in the first quarter and just three in the second to trail 10-3 at half-time, but they scored touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, while Pittsburgh could only get a field goal in the third quarter and no points at all in the fourth.