While a red wave may not have materialised in the US Midterm elections last week, a red tsunami engulfed the Aviva Stadium as Derry City beat Shelbourne by four goals to nil to clinch a sixth FAI Cup title in their history.
Both sides brought with them thousands of supporters and each and every single one was desperate for success. The sea of colour before kick-off was a sight to behold, as both sets of fans brought the pyrotechnics to create a cracking atmosphere.
Once the game started however, it was Derry that withstood the heat of the occasion. Within a minute, Jamie McGonigle had almost stole in for a simple goal.
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An ominous warning sign for Shels, and one that was ignored.
In the 18th minute, McGonigle gave Derry the lead. A stunning cross-field ball from Patrick McEleney found the marauding Ryan Graydon. Graydon ghosted in behind Shane Farrell and laid it on a plate for the onrushing McGonigle, who greedily gobbled up the chance.
Shels tried to get back into the game, but they just couldn't match Derry's ferocity and above all else, their quality.
It was no surprise then when Derry doubled the lead. The source of the goal however was surprising, as defender Cameron McJannet took the roof off the net after pouncing on a poor Shelbourne clearance.
Halftime came and went without any sign of Shels waking up. In fact, they may have well still been in the dressing room when Michael Duffy's corner found McJannet in acres of space on the penalty spot. The defender doubled his tally for the day and with it, eliminated any hopes of a fairytale comeback for Damien Duff's side.
Derry completely took the sting out of the game and the match limped along for another 30 minutes or so.
Then Jordan McEneff, only on the field a matter of moments, rolled the ball into the net from the penalty spot.
Moments later, the final whistle was blown, and 100 years on from the first FAI Cup final, the trophy heads to the banks of the River Foyle.
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