Saprissa moved into the final of the second phase of the Costa Rican Clausura on the strength of a 3-1 aggregate victory over Liberia, and Hernán Medford said the classification was fair. The match for the title will come Wednesday against Herediano.

Medford praised his players after the win, saying they handled the tactical plan well and earned the result on merit. He also said the team is responding despite several absences, and that it had just ended Liberia’s long unbeaten run, which made the advance even more significant.

“I congratulate the boys, they did a great job, we beat a great team, I hope they do not minimize it, we took away a long unbeaten streak, that is no coincidence, congratulations also to Liberia,” Medford said after the match. He added that Saprissa was “very well applied tactically” and that the squad is understanding the idea and showing “very good things.”

The coach also singled out Madriz, saying he has the stature of a national team goalkeeper and could play abroad. His comments came with Saprissa now set for a final that he described as a meeting between two clubs with players who have already won many titles. “It will be an interesting final, with two teams that have players who have won many titles, who know how to play this kind of match,” he said.

The context for that final includes a regular-season meeting in which Saprissa beat Herediano 2-1 at home. Medford was asked about remarks he had made after that match, but he refused to keep going down that road. He said he did not want to talk about the past and told the reporter, “No me agüevés así mae.”

He doubled down on that stance, saying he would answer questions about Wednesday but not about what happened before. “If you talk to me about Wednesday I’ll answer you, if you talk to me about the past I won’t answer you,” he said, adding that he wanted no controversy and preferred to look ahead. He also said, “I respect a team like Herediano always,” and described Wednesday as “a football party” that everyone involved should enjoy.

The final now carries more than the weight of a trophy chase. Saprissa arrives having removed a team that was in form and unbeaten for an extended stretch, while Herediano comes back into the frame after a regular-season loss that Medford clearly does not want revisited. Wednesday will decide which side leaves with the stronger claim to the Clausura second phase.