Classy, superior, ruthless.

AshantiGold seemingly had a foothold over King Faisal when the game commenced. The result? A 5-1 thrashing.

Surprising as it may seem, the Miners could have scored at least eight if they had been more clinical. In fact, they saw a goal rescinded by referee Isaac Osei due to an apparent foul on the opposition goalkeeper.

Even more surprising, forwards Hans Kwofie - their top scorer with three goals and Dacosta Boadu (2 goals) were not included in the matchday squad.

Unfortunately for King Faisal, the hosts converted some of their numerous opportunities. The game began with Ashgold flowing with confidence.

It did not take long for the first goal to arrive. A beautiful interchange between David Abagna and Isaac Opoku Agyemang led to the latter finishing confidently from close range in the 16th minute.

King Faisal did have their chances albeit they were few. One of their best chances arrived ten minutes later when Ashgold left-back Abdul Bashiru sent a back pass straight to the feet of Kwame Peprah. The forward expertly dribbled past the helpless Bailou Mohammed and slotted it into the net.

The goal was a reminder that the Miners still had some work to do on the defensive end and head coach Milovan Circovic expressed his 'surprise' at the lack of concentration, pointing to the costly mistake made by Robert Dabuo three days earlier.

It did not take the hosts long to respond though. Another great team move led to an easy finish for Abagna in the 29th minute.

King Faisal, who were pegged back for most of the game, had another chance to level the score just before the half time.

Peprah beat his marker for pace and was brought down in the box. The referee had no option than to point to the spot. Frustration was evident from the AshGold players which could be attributed to their long period of dominance.

Fortunately, Circovic did not have to change his team talk as Peprah, who elected to take the spot-kick, blasted the ball over the bar. AshantiGold went into the break with a slender 2-1 lead.

After the break, Ashgold moved to another gear. Isaac Opoku Agyemang got his brace after gliding past his marker and finding the bottom corner in the 49th minute.

https://twitter.com/AshantiGoldSC_/status/1339256926908129285?s=20

It was indeed the hallmark of a complete striker who was later praised by Circovic as a youngster who 'fights' in training and 'always wants to score'.

The Obuasi-based side used the wings to great effect in the game, especially in the second half. Kwadwo Amoako and Yaw Annor had a field day against the opposition fullbacks, causing problems from start to finish.

Annor, in particular, had at least four key chances in the second half alone and managed to convert two of them.

His first goal came in the 83rd minute. Appiah McCarthy put him clean through and after taking a touch, managed to put the ball past Kaisan Yuisu.

Annor was at the right place at the right time for his second. Appiah McCarthy's injury-time free-kick forced a save from Yuisu and the winger tucked the ball home from close range.

Currently, Ashgold are in third place with one outstanding game. They have also scored the most goals in the competition so far (13 in four games).

Although their defensive issues are present, Ashgold have taken the right path. With a fully healthy squad, they will surely cause a lot of damage.