Only Love. That's the relationship between the newly signed Artilheiro do Amor (Love Gunner) and Flamengo. Vagner Love has already scored three goals in his first two games for Flamengo, one of them a stunning one-two with Emperor Adriano, and is therefore exciting the fans, who promise a great celebration in Sunday's derby against Fluminense at Maracanã. The striker dreams of an even better performance. After all, according to him, he'll only get sharper as the season progresses.

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Next Sunday's match is only Vagner Love's third for the Red-Blacks, but even so, the number 9 believes he's already close to optimal physical fitness. Everyone knows he has technical quality, and his recent performances have proven it. Now, it's time to rest a bit and train even harder in the coming days to maintain his good goal average for Flamengo.

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"Fla-Flu is already on Sunday, and it will be my first derby in a Flamengo shirt. We hope to win. We're going to rest and go all out. I'm trying to improve physically every day, every game. I'm going into my third game on Sunday, and I'm almost there," he said.

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The numbers from this early year are encouraging for the top scorer. According to him, the partnership with Adriano is already working and has everything it needs to become even more successful. The two players are always looking for each other on the field—the third goal in the victory over Americano proves this—and together they form a duo that is considered by many to be the best attack in Brazil.

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"I'm averaging well, and I have to try to maintain it and always help Flamengo. It helps our connection (with Adriano) because we're always looking for each other. He's a great player. It's working, and I hope to keep that up in every game," he analyzed.

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Regarding Wednesday's game, Vagner Love was another to emphasize the importance of the three points. According to him, Flamengo played intelligently and managed the result, even with Leonardo Moura sent off 12 minutes into the second half.

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"The end of the game was a drama, even with Leonardo Moura's sending off. With one less player, the team is worn out, but the important thing is the three points," he added.