Vladimir Quesada, head coach of Saprissa, commented after his team’s 2-1 victory against Cartaginés in the first leg of the semifinal. Despite the win at Fello Meza Stadium, he emphasized that his team remains cautious as they prepare to play the return match at home on Sunday.
Quesada expressed appreciation for his players and attributed their recent performances to tactical discipline and teamwork. “I thank my players for what they do, but above all God because He gives them intelligence, discernment and strength to do the job. I think in recent games we have been very tactical; I noticed it against Sporting, there we played a very good tactical game, as well as against Guadalupe. The team is evolving and that is good,” he said.
He added: “We are a very offensive team, but we had to balance with tactical order. We will not find perfection, but we work for it. I congratulate all my players; now we go with three points and a goal difference, but this is not over. We are clear that this is not over.”
When asked about Sebastián Acuña’s performance, Quesada responded: “Excellence is difficult to achieve, but Sebastián Acuña’s work was outstanding. He was the balance of the team and that’s very good. Now, here’s something important: the rest of the group knows that everyone has to be as prepared as possible to defend Saprissa’s colors. In this case Sebastián did very well, but it could be someone else next time. We are very happy.”
On whether Saprissa is currently experiencing its best sporting moment, Quesada stated: “It is the best sporting moment, but we have room and potential to improve in upcoming matches. We are prepared to play five more games; in fact, mentally we’ve worked significantly. We’re working hard and want to show our best form during these stages. Cartaginés played a great game.”
Quesada highlighted his team’s transitions on both offense and defense: “Everything is worked on. We made very good transitions towards attack but also towards defense. At some point I felt the team was very comfortable as if at home. The transitions helped us a lot.”
He also commented on Mariano Torres’ contribution despite doubts about his fitness before the match: “I don’t know how much was said about Mariano Torres possibly being absent, but he did a great job. Two weeks ago he had some discomforts but being a great professional he recovered for this match. We understood it was better for him not to play past minute 70 considering it’s better to lose him for some minutes than for the final stage. On field he did great things but we thought it was time for him to rest in the second half.”
Regarding Cartaginés’ performance in the first leg Quesada said: “Cartaginés did many good things before our first goal. We started well then they reacted had approaches balanced out play—football is like that…We didn’t give up reaped rewards.Cartaginés played a great game.”
