Soccer-Record crowd watches Corinthians win 3-0 to stay top

SAO PAULO, Aug 23 (Reuters) - A record crowd watched Corinthians beat reigning champions Cruzeiro 3-0 on Sunday to maintain their four-point lead at the top of Brazil's Serie A. Encouraged by reduced ticket prices, 41,014 fans turned up at Arena Corinthians to see Vagner Love score twice and Jadson get another against a poor Cruzeiro side, stadium administrators said. The attendance was the largest for a league game at the venue and biggest crowd there since the 2014 World Cup when additional seating allowed 63,267 people to watch the semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands. The result means Corinthians now have 43 points after 20 games, four ahead of Atletico Mineiro who kept up the chase with a 2-1 win over Palmeiras. Third-and fourth-placed Gremio and Fluminense both lost ground. Gremio drew 0-0 with Ponte Preta and have 37 points, while Fluminense went down 2-1 at second-bottom club Joinville, who scored both their goals in the last 10 minutes. Vasco da Gama are six points adrift at the bottom of the table after being hammered 3-0 by Goias on Saturday. (Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)