Corinthians has the best defence in the Brasileirão through 19 games | OneFootball

Despite the defeat to Fluminense on Sunday, Corinthians ended the first half of the Brasileirão campaign with the best defensive numbers in the league.

After the first 19 games of the season, Corinthians have allowed just 12 goals – one less than Clássico Majestoso rivals São Paulo and two less than Derby Paulista foes Palmeiras.

Last season, while surviving relegation by just two points, Corinthians allowed just 35 goals but were only able to put 34 shots into the back of the net.

Corinthians have kept an unbelievable 10 clean sheets this season and have only been scored on twice on two occasions – against Bahia and Ceará.

What makes their defensive record even more impressive is that Carille’s favoured centre-back pairing Gil and Manoel only becoming a stable duo less than two months ago.

Manoel was brought in on loan in January and struggled mightily throughout the Campeonato Paulista, while Gil returned in July after three years with China’s  Shandong Luneng.

Corinthians could very well be in serious contention for the Brasileirão title if their attack were operating at full-strength.

Alongside São Paulo, Carille’s team scored just 21 goals in the opening 19 rounds, the worst of the top-nine teams in the league.

Vagner Love and Pedrinho are leading the way for Corinthians, scoring four goals each, while Campeonato Paulista star Gustagol has been in and out of the lineup due to recurring injury problems.