Rosana Augusto’s football career is marked by twists and turns. Five years ago, she wore the Palmeiras jersey when she retired as a player. This Sunday she is about to win her second title (the first was the Copa do Brasil, in November) as coach of the São Paulo team, which beat Corinthians in the first leg of the Paulistão women’s final by 5-1. The decision is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Estádio do Canindé and has everything to crown the coach’s new work, started less than two months ago.
Until the end of October, Rosana managed Flamengo, which qualified for the quarterfinals of the Brasileirão A1, when it was eliminated precisely by Palmeiras. At Carioca he led the team to the semi-finals, but the work was interrupted before the end of the championship. The Rouge et Noir announced the departure of the coach, citing as a reason a “budgetary readjustment” planned for 2026, which it described as “important”.
If the departure was brutal – leaders of the Flamengo team like Cristiane deplored the loss of their coach on social networks – fate was certain. Returning to Palmeiras, Rosana took over the team left by Camilla Orlando (currently in charge of the under-17 team) with two competitions in progress. The coach explains that both teams “have the same ambitions”, but that she has noticed some differences in the work, such as “the physical structure and processes in Palmeiras are more consolidated”.
For her, returning as a coach five years after hanging up her boots is a tremendous facilitator in her relationship with her team.
— The fact that I was an athlete, understanding the identity of the club also makes everything easier. I know the pain that the players feel, I know what they like and that, without a doubt, facilitates interventions, offers ideas, tries to be very succinct and didactic so that understanding is quick and clear — he emphasizes.
Rosana’s debut was a big test that the team passed masterfully: in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil, Palmeiras secured its place in the review with a 4-0 victory over São Paulo. In the final, Alviverde was once again sovereign and beat Ferroviária 4-2, and the title marked only Rosana’s sixth match in charge of the club.
In Paulistão, work began in the last five rounds of the first phase, and the team retained second place, finishing behind Palmeiras. In the semi-final, the dispute was about a reunion with Ferroviária, and once again Rosana Augusto’s Palmeiras did better. And all this without knowing what it’s like to lose a match: for the moment, there are six wins and three draws. If they manage to confirm their advantage, Alviverde will repeat last year’s edition, with a title over his biggest rival.
In addition to sporting results, Rosana also values progress behind the scenes. For her, the evolution of the club’s women’s football department arouses a “very good feeling”, and the success at the start of the work is directly linked to the “organization, progressive development and well-structured processes” of the alviverde.
— It’s a very competent staff and, above all, the players are very talented, intelligent, who quickly adopted the idea and were able to put it into practice very quickly, — believes the coach.
About The Author
