Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants thanks to last-gasp touchdown

The Dallas Cowboys claimed a thrilling 27-26 win over the New York Giants in their NFL season-opener, scoring the winning touchdown with just seven seconds left.

The Cowboys trailed 26-20 in the final two minutes but went 72 yards in just a minute and 27 seconds to snatch the victory.

The late score came when Romo fumbled a shotgun snap but recovered the ball and then tossed an 11-yard touchdown over the middle to his tight end Jason Witten.

It was a fifth straight win over the Giants for Dallas but came at a cost because wide receiver Dez Bryant will be on the sidelines for four to six weeks after breaking a bone in his foot.

The Giants converted three turnovers into 17 points, but poor clock management on their last scoring drive probably cost them a victory.

Quarterback Eli Manning threw a pass out of the end zone on third down instead of taking a sack that would have eaten up precious seconds and, although they kicked a field goal to extend their lead to six points, they left Dallas 1:34 on the clock.

Live NFL

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said: "It's my fault at the end of the game, there's nobody to blame but me. The decision to throw the ball there on third down was not a good decision.

"It should have been a run, whether we scored or not. The clock would have at least given us the opportunity to take a few more seconds off."

Romo finished the game 36 of 45 for 356 yards, with three touchdown passes and a pair of interceptions.

Witten caught two of the touchdown passes, both in the final quarter, and Gavin Escobar also caught a touchdown for Dallas.

The Giants had built a 23-13 lead at one point thanks to four Josh Brown field goals, a one-yard touchdown run from Rashad Jennings and a 57-yard touchdown return from Dominique Rodgers-Cromatie, who raced away to score after Cole Beasley fumbled.

Romo said of his late-game heroics: "You have to feel comfortable in that situation.

"I think Jason is obviously a special player. He's obviously close to me and it's a great feeling to be able to see him score that winning touchdown."