Madrid - Spanish football giants Valencia announced on Monday that goalkeeper Renan would be out of action for around a month.

The 23 year-old Brazilian tore a muscle in his left thigh in Sunday's 3-2 defeat away to Athletic Bilbao, and will not be back in action until late February.

Therefore, Valencia are looking for another goalkeeper in the January transfer window. The fourth-placed club does not appear to have much confidence in 22-year-old reserve Vicente Guaita, who came on for Renan in Bilbao and looked shaky.

Madrid  - Spain suffered its first avalanche victim of the year when a 24-year-old man was killed in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north of the capital Madrid, local media reported.

Madrid  - Barcelona finished the first half of their league programme in superlative style on Saturday, thrashing hapless Deportivo Coruna 5-0 at home, with two goals apiece from Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o.

Their seventh successive win means that Barca reach the halfway mark, 19 games, on 50 points, a new record in La Liga.

They have also created a new record for goals scored at this stage, having put away 59. Josep Guardiola's team are keen to break Real Madrid's record of 107 goals in the 1989/90 season.

Madrid  - Barcelona finished the first half of their league programme in superlative style on Saturday, thrashing hapless Deportivo Coruna 5-0 at home, with two goals apiece from Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o.

Their seventh successive win means that Barca reach the halfway mark on 50 points, a new record in La Liga.

They have also created a new record for goals scored at this stage, having put away 59. Josep Guardiola's team are keen to break Real Madrid's record of 107 goals in the 1989/90 season.

Buenos Aires - Spain's Marc Coma practically sealed overall victory in the motorcycle event of the Dakar Rally after Saturday's timed section of the 14th stage.

The KTM rider stayed well in front of nearest rival Cyril Despres of France after the 227-kilometre special stage between Cordoba and Buenos Aires.

Barring any setbacks on the untimed 341-kilometre liaison ride into Buenos Aires, 32-year-old Coma will repeat his success in winning the bike rally in 2006.

Madrid - The Operation Puerto investigation into the biggest doping scandal in professional cycling has been reopened by Spanish judicial authorities, it was reported Saturday.

El Pais daily said a court in Madrid has overturned a ruling last year by investigative judge Antonio Serrano to close the case.

The ruling could pave the way for criminal proceedings in the investigation.

Operation Puerto was launched after raids in May 2006 in which police found large quantities of anabolic steroids, equipment used for blood transfusions and more than 200 bags of blood linked to more than 50 cyclists.