The Nova Iguaçu Courier
Match26 Sep 2026
Whatever happens, Nova Iguaçu do not lose
10 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Nova Iguaçu
Mota and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match26 Sep 2026
Nova Iguaçu get the job done against Luverdense
A 2‑0 win over Luverdense, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Léo Rafael in the eights
A performance of 8.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Nova Iguaçu
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Wender was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Lucas Cruz was unplayable
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
Paulo Teixeira has his say
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Paulo Teixeira on a 2‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
Philippe gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Pedro Thomaz was immovable
13 times he got in the way of something. Centre-halves get written about when they make mistakes and ignored when they do not, so an afternoon like this needs saying out loud: he is the reason the scoreline reads as it does.
In brief
- Player ratings A defender's afternoon for Augusto
- The dugout Rickelme Lopes gets picked when it counts
- The dugout Andrey left out for tactical reasons at Nova Iguaçu