Corinthians win again, improve record in managers' debuts since 2020 | OneFootball

On the night of last Thursday (09), Corinthians faced Platense of Argentina at Estadio Ciudad de Vicente López in the first round of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores group stage and won 2-0. The result marked Fernando Diniz’s debut in charge of the team and ended the club’s winless streak this season.

Besides starting the continental competition with a positive result, Timão also improved its recent record in coaches’ debuts. Since 2020, Corinthians had accumulated more negative than positive results in their managers’ first matches.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Agência Corinthians

With the win over Platense, the club now has six victories in 11 managerial debuts during the period, along with five defeats. The record is now more balanced, with 14 goals scored and 12 conceded in those opening matches.

Fernando Diniz became Corinthians’ 12th head coach in the last six years, maintaining the average of two changes per season. His positive debut ends a recent run of negative results in first matches under new management.

In 2020, Tiago Nunes began his spell with a 4-1 win over Botafogo-SP in the Paulista Championship, while Vagner Mancini also won his first match, beating Athletico-PR away from home in the Brasileirão.

In the following years, however, the club piled up debuts ending in defeats. Sylvinho lost to Atlético-GO in 2021, while Vitor Pereira was beaten by São Paulo in 2022. In 2023, Fernando Lázaro, Cuca and Vanderlei Luxemburgo also began their spells with negative results, as did Mano Menezes, who lost to Fortaleza in the Copa Sudamericana.

The streak was partially interrupted in 2024, when António Oliveira beat Portuguesa in his debut, as did Ramón Díaz, who defeated Criciúma in the Brazilian Championship. Dorival Júnior, in 2025, also started with a win over Novorizontino in the Copa do Brasil.

Now, in 2026, Fernando Diniz begins his journey at the club with an away win in the Libertadores, putting Corinthians back on a positive path in recent coaching debuts.

Check out Corinthians’ record in coaching debuts since 2020:

Tiago Nunes – Corinthians 4 x 1 Botafogo-SP (Paulistão 2020)

Vagner Mancini – Athletico-PR 0 x 1 Corinthians (Brasileirão 2020)

Sylvinho – Corinthians 0 x 1 Atlético-GO (Brasileirão 2021)

Vitor Pereira – São Paulo 1 x 0 Corinthians (Paulistão 2022)

Fernando Lázaro – RB Bragantino 1 x 0 Corinthians (Paulistão 2023)

Cuca – Goiás 3 x 1 Corinthians (Brasileirão 2023)

Vanderlei Luxemburgo – Corinthians 1 x 2 Independiente del Valle-EQU (Libertadores 2023)

Mano Menezes – Fortaleza 2 x 0 Corinthians (Copa Sudamericana 2023)

Antônio Oliveira – Corinthians 2 x 0 Portuguesa (Paulistão 2024)

Ramón Díaz – Corinthians 2 x 1 Criciúma (Brasileirão 2024)

Dorival Júnior – Novorizontino 0 x 1 Corinthians (Copa do Brasil 2025)

Fernando Diniz – Platense 0 x 2 Corinthians (Libertadores 2026)

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.